The Early Scholar

c. 1865

Eastman Johnson

Associated Names
Eastman Johnson

Painter, American, 1824 - 1906

This painting shows a young boy sitting on a wooden rocking chair next to a dark metal stove. He is leaning forward with one arm extended towards the stove door, which is partially open, revealing bright orange light. The boy is wearing a dark cap, a brown long-sleeved shirt, and light-colored pants. His face is partially turned away, focused on the stove, but we can see his pale skin and rosy cheeks. Firewood is scattered on the floor around the stove. The background includes plain gray walls, and on the right are rows of what appear to be wooden desks.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on academy board on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Chester Dale Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 43.2 x 53.7 cm (17 x 21 1/8 in.)
    framed: 61.6 x 71.8 x 6 cm (24 1/4 x 28 1/4 x 2 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1963.10.157

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist, New York.[1] F. Reside; his estate; (sale, Silo's Galleries, New York, 21 February 1931, no. 274); Chester Dale [1883-1962], New York;[2] bequest 1963 to NGA.
[1] An undated photograph reproduced in Edgar French, "An American Portrait Painter of Three Historical Epochs," World's Work 13 (1906): 123, depicts Johnson's studio, in which the NGA version of The Early Scholar can be discerned on the left wall.
[2] Provenance information is provided in undated notes, NGA curatorial files, from information conveyed by Mary Towar Bullard (Mrs. Chester) Dale in May 1959.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1937

  • An Exhibition of American Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection, The Union League Club, New York, 1937, no. 24.

1940

  • Eastman Johnson, 1824-1906: An American Genre Painter, Brooklyn Museum, 1940, no. 95

1965

  • The Chester Dale Bequest, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1965, unnumbered checklist.

Bibliography

1940

  • L., J.W. [probably Lane, James W.] "The Brown Decades Seen by Eastman Johnson." Art News 38 (3 February 1940): 20.

1965

  • Paintings other than French in the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 36, repro.

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 74, repro.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 184, repro.

  • Wilmerding, John. American Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1980: 72, repro.

1981

  • Williams, William James. A Heritage of American Paintings from the National Gallery of Art. New York, 1981: 148-149, repro.

1987

  • Link, William A. "'Rough Times': Rural Education in Late-Nineteenth-Century Virginia." Virginia Cavalcade 37 (Summer 1987): color repro. 21.

1988

  • Wilmerding, John. American Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art. Rev. ed. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1988: 82, repro.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 212, repro.

1996

  • Kelly, Franklin, with Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr., Deborah Chotner, and John Davis. American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1996: 373-376, color repro.

1997

  • Southgate, M. Therese. The Art of JAMA: One Hundred Covers and Essays from The Journal of the American Medical Association. St. Louis, 1997: 54-55, color repro.

Inscriptions

lower left: E.J.

Wikidata ID

Q20188663

You may be interested in

Loading Results