GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In this scene adapted from Tobias Smollett's novel The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, the British veteran Commodore Trunnion (pouring himself a drink) learns from his friend Jack Hatchway that a hated rival naval officer has beaten him out of an honorary title. This early example of 19th-century genre painting combines an 18th-century British literary subject with the coloration, lighting, and detail of 17th-century Dutch still lifes and narrative scenes.
Francis Edmonds began life as a banker but soon devoted more and more time to his blossoming artistic career. The success of his first exhibition in 1839—and this painting in particular—caused him to change career paths for good.
Excerpt from
DMA label text
NOTES
c. 1839
Changed to By 1839. See General Description.
Object File reviewed
Geography cannot be verified. From 1834-1844 he lived in New York, with the exception of 1841 when he traveled through Europe after the death of his wife.
17th century Dutch and Flemish art
Object Summary:
"Francis William Edmonds was a banker who, uncertain of his artistic abilities, painted and exhibited for many years under the pseudonym "E.F. Williams." Commodore Trunnion and Jack Hathaway was the first canvas shown under Edmond's name, and was widely considered equal to the work of the great American genre painter William Sidney Mount. The scene is taken from an 18th-century English novel by Tobias Smollet, "The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle," in which Jack Hatchway learns from the newspaper that the Commodore's rival, Admiral Bower, has been designated a peer of the realm. The setting has been moved from the original tavern to the Commodore's workroom, and Edmonds chose the quiet moment just before Jack happens upon the bad news. The skillfully rendered flagon in its straw casing, the pewter tankard, and the block and tackle reflect Edmonds's admiration for the 17th-century Dutch tradition of still-life and genre painting."
Acquisition Justification? (paper not labeled)
"The painting also merits attention because it was one of the first paintings Edmonds is known to have parted with. In that transaction, Edmonds requested that the new owner permit the painting to be exhibited at the annual exhibition at the National Academy. He also wrote to the owner that Commodore Trunnion and Jack Hatchway was generally considered the best best picture he had executed."
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Edmonds, Francis William (American, 1806-1863)
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: private collection, Rhode Island
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Maxus Energy and Nina B. Super by exchange, the Roberta Coke Camp Fund and the General Acquisitions Fund, purchased from the Vose Galleries of Boston
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Francis William Edmonds, Biography~Read a biography of Francis William Edmonds at the National Gallery of Art.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
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Apply to objects where number equals 1991.11
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General Description
In this scene adapted from Tobias Smollett's novel The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, the British veteran Commodore Trunnion (pouring himself a drink) learns from his friend Jack Hatchway that a hated rival naval officer has beaten him out of an honorary title. This early example of 19th-century genre painting combines an 18th-century British literary subject with the coloration, lighting, and detail of 17th-century Dutch still lifes and narrative scenes.
Francis Edmonds began life as a banker but soon devoted more and more time to his blossoming artistic career. The success of his first exhibition in 1839—and this painting in particular—caused him to change career paths for good.
Excerpt from
DMA label text
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Francis William Edmonds, Biography~Read a biography of Francis William Edmonds at the National Gallery of Art.
Notes
c. 1839
Changed to By 1839. See General Description.
Object File reviewed
Geography cannot be verified. From 1834-1844 he lived in New York, with the exception of 1841 when he traveled through Europe after the death of his wife.
17th century Dutch and Flemish art
Object Summary:
"Francis William Edmonds was a banker who, uncertain of his artistic abilities, painted and exhibited for many years under the pseudonym "E.F. Williams." Commodore Trunnion and Jack Hathaway was the first canvas shown under Edmond's name, and was widely considered equal to the work of the great American genre painter William Sidney Mount. The scene is taken from an 18th-century English novel by Tobias Smollet, "The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle," in which Jack Hatchway learns from the newspaper that the Commodore's rival, Admiral Bower, has been designated a peer of the realm. The setting has been moved from the original tavern to the Commodore's workroom, and Edmonds chose the quiet moment just before Jack happens upon the bad news. The skillfully rendered flagon in its straw casing, the pewter tankard, and the block and tackle reflect Edmonds's admiration for the 17th-century Dutch tradition of still-life and genre painting."
Acquisition Justification? (paper not labeled)
"The painting also merits attention because it was one of the first paintings Edmonds is known to have parted with. In that transaction, Edmonds requested that the new owner permit the painting to be exhibited at the annual exhibition at the National Academy. He also wrote to the owner that Commodore Trunnion and Jack Hatchway was generally considered the best best picture he had executed."
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Edmonds, Francis William (American, 1806-1863)
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: private collection, Rhode Island
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Maxus Energy and Nina B. Super by exchange, the Roberta Coke Camp Fund and the General Acquisitions Fund, purchased from the Vose Galleries of Boston
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