The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2024

An October Day in the White Mountains

An October Day in the White Mountains

1854
(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

Did You Know?

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.
  • UNtil 1967
    (Sloan & Roman, Inc., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    by 1858?
    George Talbot Olyphant [1819-1873], New York
    1855-probably 1858
    Robert Morrison Olyphant [1824-1918], New York, NY, probably to his brother, George Talbot Olyphant
    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. 
  • 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
    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. 
  • 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.
    Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).
    Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Visions of Landscape: East and West (17 February-21 March 1982)
    New York, The National Academy of Design, 1855.
    Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).
    John Frederick Kensett. Schick Art Gallery, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY (organizer) (April 13-May 3, 1967).
    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.
    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. 
  • {{cite web|title=An October Day in the White Mountains|url=false|author=John Frederick Kensett|year=1854|access-date=16 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
    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. 

Source URL:

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