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John Henry Twachtman Catalogue Raisonné
An online catalogue by Lisa N. Peters, Ph.D., in collaboration with the Greenwich Historical Society

Catalogue Entry

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Additional Images
Yellowstone Park, ca. 1895 (OP.1307). Fig. 1. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, North Rim, North of Lookout Point, June 2022.
Fig. 1. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, North Rim, North of Lookout Point, June 2022.
Image: Lisa N. Peters
Related Work
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Keywords
OP.1307
Yellowstone Park
Alternate title: Yellowstone
ca. 1895
Oil on canvas
30 x 28 1/2 in. (76.2 x 72.4 cm)
Signed lower right: J. H. Twachtman
Peter Findlay Gallery, New York, and David Findlay Jr. Fine Art, New York
Provenance
(Vose);
(Howard Young Galleries, New York);
J. K. Newman, New York;
to (American Art Association—Anderson Galleries, New York, Newman sale, December 6, 1935, lot 20);
(Babcock, 1949);
to Mr. and Mrs. David B. Findlay, New York, by 1957;
by descent in the family, 2003.
Exhibitions
1949-I Babcock probably
Babcock Galleries, New York, Paintings and Watercolors by American Artists, June 1–September 9, 1949, no. 2, as Yellowstone.
2006 Spanierman
Spanierman Gallery, New York, John Twachtman (1853–1902): A "Painter's Painter," May 4–June 24, 2006. (Nelson 2006); (Parkes 2006); (Peters 2006–I); (Peters 2006–II); (Peters 2006–III); (Peters 2006–IV), no. 50, pp. 178–79 ill. in color, as Yellowstone Park, shown only in New York. Traveled to: Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, July 13–October 29, 2006.
Literature
American Art Association—Anderson Galleries 1935–II
The J. K. Newman Collection of Important Paintings by American and French XIX–XX Century Artists. Auction catalogue, December 6, 1935. New York: American Art Association—Anderson Galleries, 1935, lot 20 ill. in b/w, as Yellowstone Park.
Hale 1957
Hale, John Douglass. "Life and Creative Development of John H. Twachtman." 2 vols. Ph.D. dissertation, Ohio State University, 1957. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms, 1958, vol. 1, p. 404 ill. in b/w (fig. 149); vol. 2, p. 581 (catalogue A, no. 768), as Yellowstone Park. (Hale concordance).
Commentary

In his 1895 letter to William A. Wadsworth, who financed his trip to Yellowstone, Twachtman wrote: “We have had several snow storms and the ground is white—the cañon looks more beautiful than ever.”[1] In this image of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, the aftermath of these storms can be seen in the dustings of snow on the crevices of canyon walls and along ridges. The image depicts the North Rim of the canyon, north of Lookout Point (fig. 1). In it, Twachtman captured the actual contrast of pink and sap green, to form a decorative conception in which he brought the canyon walls close to the picture plane. The interlocking triangles, one receding and one coming forward, are suggestive of the influence of Japanese prints.The painting is similar to Yellowstone Park (OP.1308) and possibly depicts the same site, although there are some differences in the rock formations. Whereas in OP.1308, he  captured the midday sunlight, here he portrayed the light in a dimmer glow, perhaps that of approaching evening.

This was possibly among the four views of Yellowstone Park once owned by Wadsworth that he lent to an exhibition at the Buffalo Fine Arts Center in 1913, where it would have been shown along with Yellowstone Park (OP.1308) and Niagara Gorge (OP.1209). However, Wadsworth's ownership has yet to be confirmed. Later the painting was part of the collection of works by European and American artists owned by J. K. Newman.[2]

[1] John H. Twachtman, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, to William A. Wadsworth, Geneseo, New York, September 22, 1895, Wadsworth Family papers, Milne Library, State University of New York at Geneseo (John H. Twachtman to William A. Wadsworth, September 22, 1895).

[2]   On the sale of Newman’s estate, see “Van Gogh Painting Is Sold for $15,000,” New York Times, December 7, 1935, p. 15.