View of the St. Anne’s River
- Artist
- Robert Seldon Duncanson, American, 1821–1872
- Date
- 1870
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
- depicts
- Québec province, Canada, North and Central America
- Classification
- Paintings
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 336
- Dimensions
- 21 1/4 x 40 1/8 in. (54 x 101.9 cm)
framed: 30 1/2 x 49 1/4 in. (77.5 x 125.1 cm) - Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Contact Us
- Object Number
- 163:1966
NOTES
Pervasive golden light, reflected in the smooth surface of the river, establishes the tranquil mood of this landscape. A small herd of cattle wades in the shallow water, undisturbed by the fishermen in the distance. Robert Duncanson created this painting from sketches he had made on a trip to Canada in 1869. Duncanson was one of the first African American painters to experience success in the United States. He felt his paintings measured up to the work of European artists, commenting that “of all the landscapes I saw in Europe (and I saw thousands) I do not feel discouraged."
Provenance
Thomas J. Barnum (1830-1879) and Agnes Tumilty Barnum (1842-1911), Manchester, MO [1]
by 1911 - 1948
Ida Richter (Mrs. Valentine) Knapp (1857-1948), St. Louis, MO, given by Agnes Barnum [2]
1948 - 1966
Vera M. (Mrs. Albert Charles) Grosse (1894-1984), Glencoe, MO, by inheritance
1966 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Vera M. Grosse [3]
Notes:
[1] Agnes Barnum is described as the owner of two other Duncanson paintings. [Parks, James Dallas. "Robert S. Duncanson: 19th Century Black Romantic Painter." Washington DC: The Associated Publishers, Inc., 1980, p. viii]. Although Parks states that Thomas Barnum received the paintings from his brother, famed circus promoter P. T. Barnum, there is no relation between the two.
[2] Mrs. Barnum gave the painting to neighbor Ida Knapp. Mrs. Knapp's daughter, Vera M. Grosse, inherited the painting [notes, SLAM document files].
According to Parks (see note [1]), sometime after Thomas Barnum's death, Mrs. Barnum gave the two other Duncanson paintings to acquaintance Father Francis Xavier Reker, of Valley Park, MO. Joseph D. Ketner includes both P. T. Barnum and Father Reker in the provenance of this work, without mention of Mrs. Knapp or Mrs. Grosse, although there is no evidence in SLAM document files to support this provenance [Ketner, Joseph D. "The Emergence of the African-American Artist: Robert S. Duncanson 1821- 1872." Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1993; p. 202-203].
[3] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control and Associate Members of the Board of Control of the City Art Museum, June 16, 1966.
by 1911 - 1948
Ida Richter (Mrs. Valentine) Knapp (1857-1948), St. Louis, MO, given by Agnes Barnum [2]
1948 - 1966
Vera M. (Mrs. Albert Charles) Grosse (1894-1984), Glencoe, MO, by inheritance
1966 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Vera M. Grosse [3]
Notes:
[1] Agnes Barnum is described as the owner of two other Duncanson paintings. [Parks, James Dallas. "Robert S. Duncanson: 19th Century Black Romantic Painter." Washington DC: The Associated Publishers, Inc., 1980, p. viii]. Although Parks states that Thomas Barnum received the paintings from his brother, famed circus promoter P. T. Barnum, there is no relation between the two.
[2] Mrs. Barnum gave the painting to neighbor Ida Knapp. Mrs. Knapp's daughter, Vera M. Grosse, inherited the painting [notes, SLAM document files].
According to Parks (see note [1]), sometime after Thomas Barnum's death, Mrs. Barnum gave the two other Duncanson paintings to acquaintance Father Francis Xavier Reker, of Valley Park, MO. Joseph D. Ketner includes both P. T. Barnum and Father Reker in the provenance of this work, without mention of Mrs. Knapp or Mrs. Grosse, although there is no evidence in SLAM document files to support this provenance [Ketner, Joseph D. "The Emergence of the African-American Artist: Robert S. Duncanson 1821- 1872." Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1993; p. 202-203].
[3] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control and Associate Members of the Board of Control of the City Art Museum, June 16, 1966.