The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

An Officer attacked by Brigands dates from between 1849 and 1851, and was owned by Whistler's fellow pupil at Christ Church Hall, Pomfret, CT, Samuel Hammond (1835-1896). It is not clear if Whistler, or perhaps Hammond, was the draughtsman.

An Officer attacked by Brigands, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.

This was catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 41), where it was dated 1849/1851. The entry has been updated.

Images

Subject

Titles

The inscription gives the full title as 'An Officer attacked by Brigands in a dense wood': however, the wood appears to be limited to a small tree at left.

Technique

Technique

An Officer attacked by Brigands, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.

The writing on the recto, and the style of drawing, do not look entirely consistent with Whistler's work. The 'Ned' who gave the drawing to Hammond may have been Edward Lawrence Hyde (1835-1917), and he may have been the artist.

History

Provenance

• 1849/1850: given to Samuel Hammond (1835-1896) at Christ Church Hall, Pomfret, CT;
• 1896: passed by family descent to his son, Samuel Hammond (1859-1934) and daughter-in-law Grace Hammond (1874-1972);
• 1973: given to their son, Professor Mason Hammond (1903-2002), Harvard, MA;
• 2002: passed to the estate of Professor Hammond;
• 2015: anonymous loan and promised gift to the Fogg Museum, Harvard, in honor of Professor Mason Hammond.

For further details see MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 41).

Exhibitions

• 1904: Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 170) as 'Twenty-two Drawings and Sketches done by Mr Whistler while at School in Pomfret, Conn., about 1850'.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 41) as 'An Officer attacked by Brigands'.

Catalogues 1855-1905

• Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 170) as 'Twenty-two Drawings and Sketches done by Mr Whistler while at School in Pomfret, Conn., about 1850'.

Catalogues 1906-Present

• Oils, Water-colors, Drawings and Prints by James McNeill Whistler, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1934 (cat. no. 43, 44 or 45).

Websites

• Harvard Art Museums website.