The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of November 28, 2023

An October Day in the White Mountains

1854

John Frederick Kensett

(American, 1816–1872)

America, 19th century

Oil on canvas

Framed: 107.6 x 152.1 x 12.7 cm (42 3/8 x 59 7/8 x 5 in.); Unframed: 79.8 x 123.5 cm (31 7/16 x 48 5/8 in.)

John L. Severance Fund and various donors by exchange 1967.5

Location

206 American Landscape

Fun Fact

Kensett was a selfless individual known for his charity work and helping fellow artists.

Description

After railroad service to the area was improved in the early 1850s, the White Mountains in New Hampshire became a favored destination for tourists and artists seeking to commune with nature. New York-based Kensett painted several views, including this distant rendering across the Saco River of Mount Chocorua, one of the most distinctive peaks in the region.

Inscriptions

Inscription

Signed lower right: "JF.K. 54 [JF in monogram]"

Provenance
UNtil 1967
(Sloan & Roman, Inc., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1
by 1858?
George Talbot Olyphant [1819-1873], New York 2
1855-probably 1858
Robert Morrison Olyphant [1824-1918], New York, NY, probably to his brother, George Talbot Olyphant 3

Provenance Footnotes

1 It is not known precisely how and when Sloan & Roman acquired the painting, although an unsourced reference in the museum's curatorial file from 1968 states that the gallery purchased the painting at a warehouse sale in Bronxville, New York. A search of Art Prices Current from 1907-1973 yielded no mention of this painting, and its traceable whereabouts after leaving the collection of George Talbot Olyphant until its acquisition by Sloan & Roman remain unknown.
2 The 1858 catalogue of the Annual Exhibition of the Washington Art Association lists “T. Olyphant” as the “possessor” of this painting, most likely referring to Robert Olyphant’s brother, George Talbot Olyphant, president of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, who went by “Talbot.” The circumstances under which the painting passed from Robert to Talbot are not known. Also unknown is the disposition of the painting after Talbot’s death; the posthumous 1875 sale of his collection does not include this painting. Apparently the painting did not make its way back to Robert after Talbot’s death, because sales of Robert’s collection held in 1877 and (posthumously) 1919 do not include it.
3 1John F. Kensett’s register of paintings sold shows that Robert Morrison Olyphant, a close friend and patron of the artist, purchased the painting in 1855 for $500. It was purchased shortly after the National Academy of Design exhibition of that year, the catalogue of which does not indicate the painting was for sale, as was the case with other works in the exhibition.
Citations
Mark Sullivan, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, Feb. 13, 2014, in CMA curatorial file.
Cobb, Josephine. The Washington Art Association: An Exhibition Record, 1856-1860. [Washington, D.C.]: [Columbia Historical Society], 1969. 
John F. Kensett Papers, Register: Paintings sold 1848-1861; 1865-1866; 1868-1872, The Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Microfilm reel N68-85.
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 185 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 228 archive.org
Exhibition history

New York, The National Academy of Design, 1855.

Saratoga Springs, NY, Hathorn Gallery, Skidmore College, John Frederick Kensett: A Retrospective Exhibition (13 April-3 May 1967), cat. no. 6, illus. fig. no. 4.

Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Visions of Landscape: East and West (17 February-21 March 1982)

Worcester, Worcester Art Museum, John Frederick Kensett: An American Master (24 March-9 June 1985); traveled to Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (11 July-8 September 1985); to New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (29 October 1985-19 January 1986), cat. not numbered, illus. plate 5.

John Frederick Kensett. Schick Art Gallery, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY (organizer) (April 13-May 3, 1967).

Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).

Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1967.5