The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Seaside (July: Specimen of a Portrait)

Seaside (July: Specimen of a Portrait)

1878
(French, 1836–1902)
France, 19th century
oil on fabric
Framed: 112.1 x 85.4 x 6.4 cm (44 1/8 x 33 5/8 x 2 1/2 in.); Unframed: 87.5 x 61 cm (34 7/16 x 24 in.)
Bequest of Noah L. Butkin 1980.288
Location: 220 19th Century European

Did You Know?

From 1869 to 1876, under the pseudonym Coïdé, Tissot published political cartoons in the British weekly magazine Vanity Fair, causing circulation to skyrocket.

Description

This painting belongs to a series of allegories representing various months of the year. The sitter’s relaxed pose and the distant beach suggest a summer vacation by the sea. Bright sunlight is reflected off the sand and filtered through the awning into the room, where it rebounds from the woman’s ruffled dress onto her face. The model has been identified as Kathleen Newton, Tissot’s British mistress from 1876 until her death in 1882.
  • 1879
    (Knoedler & Co., New York, NY, May 31,1879, acquired form the artist).
    1879
    Arrived in New York via Jos. Bulla, Paris, July 14, 1879, Femme au sofa (stock number 1645).
    1879
    (Knoedler, New York, NY, October 4, 1879, sold to Henry Hilton, as Summer-days)
    1900
    (American Art Galleries, New York, NY, Hilton Collection sale, February 13-16 February 1900 (lot 74), sold to Edward Brandus)
    1971-1972
    (W. Postar, Boston, MA, sold to Herbert Schwarz)
    1972
    Herbert Schwarz, Montreal
    1972
    (Sotheby's, Los Angeles, CA, Parke-Bernet, May 22-23, 1972, lot 260, Jeune femme assise with unsustainable provenance)
    1972
    (Williams & Son, London, United Kingdom, May 1972)
    1972
    Clarence Frisbee, London, October 1972.
    1975
    (Christie's, London, United Kingdom, July 25, 1975, lot 115)
    1975-1980
    Mr. Noah L. Butkin [1918-1980] Shaker Heights, OH, bequeathed to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1980-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • "Grosvenor Gallery. Second Notice." The Magazine of Art 1 (1878): 81-82. Mentioned: P. 82
    Laver, James. "Vulgar Society"; The Romantic Career of James Tissot, 1836-1902. London, United Kingdom: Constable & co., ltd, 1936. Reproduced: p. 69
    "Salerooms." The Connoisseur 190 (September 1975): 68-69. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 68
    Tissot, James Jacques Joseph. “Seaside.” Apollo: The International Magazine for Collectors 102 (November 1975): 392 Reproduced: P. 392
    Wentworth, Michael. James Tissot: Catalogue Raisonné of His Prints. Minneapolis, Minn. : Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1978. Reproduced: P. 160
    Lee, Sherman E. "The Year in Review for 1980." The Bulletin of The Cleveland Museum of Art LXVIII no. 6 (June, 1981): 163-219. Reproduced: p. 183; Mentioned: p. 182, p. 214, no. 117
    Wentworth, Michael. James Tissot. Oxford, [Oxfordshire]: Clarendon Press, 1984. Mentioned: p. 131, 142-145, 156, 202; reproduced: pl. 132
    Krystyna Matyjaszkiewicz,ed. James Tissot. Oxford: Phaidon Press and Barbican Art Gallery, 1984. Mentioned: P. 60-61, 119
    Wood, Christopher. Tissot: The Life and Work of Jacques Joseph Tissot, 1836-1902. London, United Kingdom : Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1986. Mentioned: p. 101; Reproduced: p. 105, fig. 103
    Ash, Russell.James Tissot. New York, NY: H.N. Abrams, 1992. Mentioned: p. 30
    Chong, Alan. European & American Painting in the Cleveland Museum of Art: A Summary Catalogue. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1993. Reproduced: P. 238
    D'Argencourt, Louise and Roger Diederen. The Cleveland Museum of Art: Catalogue of Paintings, Part Four; European Paintings of the 19th Century. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999. Reproduced: p. 211
    Marshall, Nancy Rose, and Malcolm Warner. James Tissot: Victorian Life, Modern Love. New Haven, CT: American Federation of Arts, Yale University Press, 1999. Reproduced: no. 52; Mentioned: p. 124-125
    Jiminez, Jill Berk, and Joanna Banham. Dictionary of Artists' Models. London, United Kingdom: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001. Reproduced: p. 399
    Groom, Gloria Lynn. Impressionism, Fashion, & Modernity. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2012. Reproduced: p. 157, no. 39
    Bougault, Valerie. "L'Impressionisme en Habits." Connaissance des Arts (October 2012): 48-57. Reproduced: P. 51
  • Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity. Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France (September 25, 2012-January 12, 2013); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (February 19-May 27, 2013); The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (organizer) (June 29-September 29, 2013).
    Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Beijing World Art Museum, China (May 26-August 27, 2006); Mori Art Center (September 16-November 26, 2006); Seoul Art Center, South Korea (December 22, 2006-March 28, 2007); Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, South Korea (April 7-May 20, 2007); Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (June 9-September 16, 2007); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 15-June 1, 2008); Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (June 22-September 21, 2008); The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (October 12, 2008-January 18, 2009).
    James Tissot. Victorian Life/Modern Love. Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT (September 22-November 28, 1999); Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Quebec City, Canada (December 15, 1999-March 12, 2000); Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY (March 24-July 2, 2000).
    Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).
    Year in Review: 1980. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 24-July 19, 1981).
    Summer Exhibition. Grosvenor Gallery, London, United Kingdom (1878).
    Possibly Victoria & Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom (according to Noah L. Butkin, in letter to The Cleveland Museum of Art; could not be verified).
  • {{cite web|title=Seaside (July: Specimen of a Portrait)|url=false|author=James Tissot|year=1878|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1980.288