GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This remarkably detailed view of early 19th-century Brooklyn is of Francis Guy's neighborhood, seen from his studio on Front Street. It is also one of the largest and finest surviving examples of the topographical tradition of American landscape, a school of painting focused on describing the cities and views of the young republic. The businesses and homes along Front, James, and Fulton streets were so clearly identified that a reviewer for the Columbian magazine in May 1820 enthusiastically praised the accuracy of the various compositions (Guy painted at least three similar Brooklyn views):"The stables, barn, and old back buildings of Mr. Titus stand well contrasted with the handsome buildings of Messrs. Sands, Graham, and Birdsall, &c."
Guy, a London silk-dyer, came to the United States in September 1795 to continue his career in New York and Baltimore. After a 1799 fire destroyed his business, Guy became a full-time painter, despite having no formal artistic training. With the assistance of patrons such as Baltimore's noted early collector Robert Gilmor, who allowed him to copy pictures, Guy developed a charming, distinctive set of views of Baltimore's landmarks. After moving to Brooklyn in 1817, he mounted his most ambitious exhibition, which included this painting, in 1820 at the Shakespeare Club. Sadly, Guy died before the run of the exhibition had finished. William Dunlap, an early American art historian, wrote dismissively in 1834 (28 years after having met Guy): "He attracted some attention by his attempts at landscape painting, and finally made it his profession and found employers. . . His style was crude and harsh, with little to recommend his efforts, which now would not be tolerated." Critical opinion has warmed—today Guy is highly regarded as one of America's earliest and most important landscape artists.
Adapted from
William Keyse Rudolph, DMA label copy (2008.23.McD), August 2008.
NOTES
Routed and revised as of 2/23/2017. Tagging complete and moved GDoc to Queta's folders to be reviewed.
Possible future Piction asset:
Henry R. Stiles, created a key for Brooklyn Museum's Winter Scene in Brooklyn, c. 1819-1820. The key was originally published in Stiles, A History of the City of Brooklyn vol. 2 (New York: 1869), 88-89. RECREATE THIS KEY FOR DMA. Our painting shows items listed 1-13 and 15 on Stiles' original key.
Reproduced in Teresa A. Carbone, American Paintings in the Brooklyn Museum, Artists Born by 1876, volume 1 (Brooklyn Museum: 2006), 573, fig. 52.
Image caption: Key to guy's Winter Scene in Brooklyn. Engraving from Henry R. Stiles ed., A History of the City of Brooklyn vol. 2 (Brooklyn, New York: Published by subscription, 1869), insert between pp. 88 and 89. Brooklyn Museum Library Collection.
Literature-- confirmed all have been entered in TMS:
Henry R. Stiles, A History of the City of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY: 1869): II, 99-105.
Stiles Tuttle Colwill, Francis Guy, 1760-1820, exh. cat. (Baltimore: Museum and Library of Maryland History, Maryland Historical Society, 1981), 71, cat. 24.
American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture Including Property from the New York Public Library Astor, Lennox and Tilden Foundations, Sotheby's New York, Wednesday November 30, 205, lot 2, pp. 14-17;
Teresa A. Carbone, American Paintings in the Brooklyn Museum: Artists Born by 1876 (Brooklyn: Brooklyn Museum, 2006): I, 573.
Added DMA Guide 2012 entry:
This remarkably detailed view of early nineteenth-century Brooklyn shows Francis Guy’s neighborhood, seen from his studio on Front Street. It is also one of the largest and finest surviving examples of the topographical tradition of American landscape painting, a school focused on the cities and views of the young republic. Guy came to the United States from London in September 1795 to continue his career as a silk dyer in New York and Baltimore. After a fire destroyed his business in 1799, he became a full-time painter, despite having no formal artistic training. He developed a distinctive set of views of landmarks around Baltimore. Three years after moving to Brooklyn in 1817, he mounted an ambitious show at the Shakespeare Club, which included this painting. Sadly, Guy died before the run of the exhibition had finished. Today he is highly regarded as one of America’s earliest and most important landscape artists.
Bonnie Pitman, ed., Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 184.
Previous provenance entry:
Estate of the artist; his wife (sold: New York, 1824, Sale of 62 Landscapes by Francis Guy on the Order of Mrs. Guy, the artist's wife, cat. no. 39); bought by Mr. Henry, 1824; Philip Grogan's New Bank Oyster House, Brooklyn, by 1869; Mr. Gordon L. Ford, Brooklyn; by family descent; given to The New York Public Library, Astor, Lennox and Tilden Foundations, c. 1900; sold, Sotheby's New York, "American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Including Property from the New York Public Library Astor Lennox and Tilden Foundations," November 30, 2005, lot 2; purchased by French & Company.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
place of origin- Brooklyn, NY
place depicted- Brooklyn, NY- Front Street from Main Street on left, to Fulton Street on the right
Process/materials
oil paint
canvas
Historical periods
c. 1817-1820
Individuals
Subject terms
neighborhood
studios
landscape
cityscape
businesses
homes
stables
barns
fences
streets
doors
windows
roofs
clouds
sky
trees
snow
winter
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Notes
The main source for this provenance is the Sotheby's New York auction catalogue entry, American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Including Property from the New York Public Library Astor Lennox and Tilden Foundations, (November 30, 2005), 14-16.
Until 1824: Estate of the artist, his wife (sold: New York, 1824, Sale of 62 Landscapes by Francis Guy on the Order of Mrs. Guy, the artist's wife, cat. no. 39)
From 1824: Mr. Henry, purchased from the above
By 1869: Philip Grogan's New Bank Oyster House, Brooklyn, NY
n.d.- Until c. 1900: Mr. Gordon L. Ford, Brooklyn, NY, thence by descent
c. 1900-2005: The New York Public Library, Astor, Lennox and Tilden Foundations, gift from the above
2005-2008: French & Company, purchased at the American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Including Property from the New York Public Library Astor Lennox and Tilden Foundations, Sotheby's New York, November 30, 2005, lot 2
From 2008: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above
AUDIO ASSETS
Collection smARTphone video; Sue Canterbury discusses Winter Scene in Brooklyn by Francis Guy (DMA collection 2008.23.McD) 12936918: UMO
Learn about Francis Guy (1760–1820).
44997878: UMO
Collections smartphone audio about artist Francis Guy; related to Winter Scene in Brooklyn (2008.23.McD) DMA Collection
264294560: UMO
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Smarthistory video, Francis Guy's Winter Scene in Brooklyn~Watch Dr. Margaret C. Conrads, Director of Curatorial Affairs, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, discuss one of Guy's depictions of his Brooklyn neighborhood.
- Winter Scene in Brooklyn~See the populated version of Guy's Scene in the Brooklyn Museum's online collection. (Transferred from the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences to the Brooklyn Museum, 97.13)
- Summer View of Brooklyn~Check out this seasonal variation on Guy's topographic theme, located in the Brooklyn Historical Society.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- The area shown in Guy's Winter Scene in Brooklyn is now occupied by the traffic lanes leading to the Brooklyn Bridge and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
- For decades this work greeted and delighted visitors to the New York Public Library Reading Room near Bryant Park, before its sale at auction in 2005.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 2008.23.McD
Category
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General Description
This remarkably detailed view of early 19th-century Brooklyn is of Francis Guy's neighborhood, seen from his studio on Front Street. It is also one of the largest and finest surviving examples of the topographical tradition of American landscape, a school of painting focused on describing the cities and views of the young republic. The businesses and homes along Front, James, and Fulton streets were so clearly identified that a reviewer for the Columbian magazine in May 1820 enthusiastically praised the accuracy of the various compositions (Guy painted at least three similar Brooklyn views):"The stables, barn, and old back buildings of Mr. Titus stand well contrasted with the handsome buildings of Messrs. Sands, Graham, and Birdsall, &c."
Guy, a London silk-dyer, came to the United States in September 1795 to continue his career in New York and Baltimore. After a 1799 fire destroyed his business, Guy became a full-time painter, despite having no formal artistic training. With the assistance of patrons such as Baltimore's noted early collector Robert Gilmor, who allowed him to copy pictures, Guy developed a charming, distinctive set of views of Baltimore's landmarks. After moving to Brooklyn in 1817, he mounted his most ambitious exhibition, which included this painting, in 1820 at the Shakespeare Club. Sadly, Guy died before the run of the exhibition had finished. William Dunlap, an early American art historian, wrote dismissively in 1834 (28 years after having met Guy): "He attracted some attention by his attempts at landscape painting, and finally made it his profession and found employers. . . His style was crude and harsh, with little to recommend his efforts, which now would not be tolerated." Critical opinion has warmed—today Guy is highly regarded as one of America's earliest and most important landscape artists.
Adapted from
William Keyse Rudolph, DMA label copy (2008.23.McD), August 2008.
Fun Facts
- The area shown in Guy's Winter Scene in Brooklyn is now occupied by the traffic lanes leading to the Brooklyn Bridge and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
- For decades this work greeted and delighted visitors to the New York Public Library Reading Room near Bryant Park, before its sale at auction in 2005.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Smarthistory video, Francis Guy's Winter Scene in Brooklyn~Watch Dr. Margaret C. Conrads, Director of Curatorial Affairs, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, discuss one of Guy's depictions of his Brooklyn neighborhood.
- Winter Scene in Brooklyn~See the populated version of Guy's Scene in the Brooklyn Museum's online collection. (Transferred from the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences to the Brooklyn Museum, 97.13)
- Summer View of Brooklyn~Check out this seasonal variation on Guy's topographic theme, located in the Brooklyn Historical Society.
Notes
Routed and revised as of 2/23/2017. Tagging complete and moved GDoc to Queta's folders to be reviewed.
Possible future Piction asset:
Henry R. Stiles, created a key for Brooklyn Museum's Winter Scene in Brooklyn, c. 1819-1820. The key was originally published in Stiles, A History of the City of Brooklyn vol. 2 (New York: 1869), 88-89. RECREATE THIS KEY FOR DMA. Our painting shows items listed 1-13 and 15 on Stiles' original key.
Reproduced in Teresa A. Carbone, American Paintings in the Brooklyn Museum, Artists Born by 1876, volume 1 (Brooklyn Museum: 2006), 573, fig. 52.
Image caption: Key to guy's Winter Scene in Brooklyn. Engraving from Henry R. Stiles ed., A History of the City of Brooklyn vol. 2 (Brooklyn, New York: Published by subscription, 1869), insert between pp. 88 and 89. Brooklyn Museum Library Collection.
Literature-- confirmed all have been entered in TMS:
Henry R. Stiles, A History of the City of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY: 1869): II, 99-105.
Stiles Tuttle Colwill, Francis Guy, 1760-1820, exh. cat. (Baltimore: Museum and Library of Maryland History, Maryland Historical Society, 1981), 71, cat. 24.
American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture Including Property from the New York Public Library Astor, Lennox and Tilden Foundations, Sotheby's New York, Wednesday November 30, 205, lot 2, pp. 14-17;
Teresa A. Carbone, American Paintings in the Brooklyn Museum: Artists Born by 1876 (Brooklyn: Brooklyn Museum, 2006): I, 573.
Added DMA Guide 2012 entry:
This remarkably detailed view of early nineteenth-century Brooklyn shows Francis Guy’s neighborhood, seen from his studio on Front Street. It is also one of the largest and finest surviving examples of the topographical tradition of American landscape painting, a school focused on the cities and views of the young republic. Guy came to the United States from London in September 1795 to continue his career as a silk dyer in New York and Baltimore. After a fire destroyed his business in 1799, he became a full-time painter, despite having no formal artistic training. He developed a distinctive set of views of landmarks around Baltimore. Three years after moving to Brooklyn in 1817, he mounted an ambitious show at the Shakespeare Club, which included this painting. Sadly, Guy died before the run of the exhibition had finished. Today he is highly regarded as one of America’s earliest and most important landscape artists.
Bonnie Pitman, ed., Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 184.
Previous provenance entry:
Estate of the artist; his wife (sold: New York, 1824, Sale of 62 Landscapes by Francis Guy on the Order of Mrs. Guy, the artist's wife, cat. no. 39); bought by Mr. Henry, 1824; Philip Grogan's New Bank Oyster House, Brooklyn, by 1869; Mr. Gordon L. Ford, Brooklyn; by family descent; given to The New York Public Library, Astor, Lennox and Tilden Foundations, c. 1900; sold, Sotheby's New York, "American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Including Property from the New York Public Library Astor Lennox and Tilden Foundations," November 30, 2005, lot 2; purchased by French & Company.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
place of origin- Brooklyn, NY
place depicted- Brooklyn, NY- Front Street from Main Street on left, to Fulton Street on the right
Process/materials
oil paint
canvas
Historical periods
c. 1817-1820
Individuals
Subject terms
neighborhood
studios
landscape
cityscape
businesses
homes
stables
barns
fences
streets
doors
windows
roofs
clouds
sky
trees
snow
winter
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Notes
The main source for this provenance is the Sotheby's New York auction catalogue entry, American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Including Property from the New York Public Library Astor Lennox and Tilden Foundations, (November 30, 2005), 14-16.
Until 1824: Estate of the artist, his wife (sold: New York, 1824, Sale of 62 Landscapes by Francis Guy on the Order of Mrs. Guy, the artist's wife, cat. no. 39)
From 1824: Mr. Henry, purchased from the above
By 1869: Philip Grogan's New Bank Oyster House, Brooklyn, NY
n.d.- Until c. 1900: Mr. Gordon L. Ford, Brooklyn, NY, thence by descent
c. 1900-2005: The New York Public Library, Astor, Lennox and Tilden Foundations, gift from the above
2005-2008: French & Company, purchased at the American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Including Property from the New York Public Library Astor Lennox and Tilden Foundations, Sotheby's New York, November 30, 2005, lot 2
From 2008: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above
AUDIO ASSETS
Collection smARTphone video; Sue Canterbury discusses Winter Scene in Brooklyn by Francis Guy (DMA collection 2008.23.McD) 12936918: UMO
Learn about Francis Guy (1760–1820).
44997878: UMO
Collections smartphone audio about artist Francis Guy; related to Winter Scene in Brooklyn (2008.23.McD) DMA Collection
264294560: UMO
VIDEO ASSETS
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Objects
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