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

Catalogue Entry

enlarge
Keywords
OP.840
Harbor Scene
Alternate title: Harbour Scene
ca. 1889
Oil on panel
12 x 16 in. (30.5 x 40.6 cm)
Signed and inscribed lower left: J. H. Twachtman; To my friend Jimmy
Location unknown
Provenance
Isabel de Puga Morrell Kelley;
to (Anderson Galleries, New York, December 9, 1925, lot 65);
to Chester Dale;
to (American Art Association, New York, February 20, 1930, lot 44);
(Parke-Bernet, New York, May 16, 1946, lot 776);
to (Babcock);
to Norman E. Boasberg, Buffalo, New York.
Literature
Anderson Galleries 1925–II
Auction catalogue, December 9, 1925. New York: Anderson Galleries, 1925, lot 65 ill. in b/w, as Harbor Scene.
American Art Association 1930
Auction catalogue, February 20, 1930. New York: American Art Association, 1930, lot 44, as Harbor Scene.
Parke-Bernet 1946–II
Auction catalogue, May 16, 1946. New York: Parke-Bernet, 1946, lot 776, as Harbor Scene.
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. 2, p. 551 (catalogue A, no. 242), as Harbour Scene. (Hale concordance).
Commentary

This unlocated painting exemplifies the geometric clarity characteristic of Twachtman's images of Newport, created during the summer of 1889. Its first recorded owner is Isabel de Puga Morrell Kelley (1858–1924). She was the wife of James Douglas Jerrold Kelley (1847–1922), a naval commander who authored several books on ships and naval warfare and became one of three directors of the New York Herald. The painting's inscription, "to my friend Jimmy" was possibly to Kelley.