A large group of barefoot figures gathered in a circle outdoors.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

A group of men are gathered in a tight circle with an even tighter inner group inside, most wearing robes around their waists. Some are bearded though their faces lack detail. Many are slightly bent at the waist and leaning to the right, some are raising up one arm bent at the elbow, others are raising clubs or handmade weapons. Light and shadow give depth to the gray wash drawing. The shadows of all fall towards the right. The background is loosely defined outdoor space of flat ground.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.574
People
John La Farge, American (New York, NY 1835 - 1910 Providence, RI)
Title
Dance of War, Fiji
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Samoan Dance
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
1902
Culture
American
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/307917

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Gray wash over graphite on thin cream wove paper, mounted to heavy cardboard
Dimensions
mount: 30.6 x 46 cm (12 1/16 x 18 1/8 in.)
actual: 23.4 x 40.2 cm (9 3/16 x 15 13/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • exhibition label: removed from verso, paper, typed and printed: [Special Loan number illegible-- torn away]
  • label: removed from verso, now in curatorial file, paper, printed: Grenville / Lindall / Winthrop [with design of a shield with rampant lion]
  • inscription: l.r. of support, graphite: War Dance (Fiji)
  • inscription: mount, below image, inscription: [partial, illegible]
  • inscription: verso of mount, graphite: #5677 - Samoan Dance
  • stamp: verso of mount, red ink, stamped: Jan 14 1902 4 PM

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Scott & Fowles, New York, NY, sold to Grenville L. Winthrop, 1924; his bequest to the Fogg Art Museum, 1943.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.574
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • John La Farge, "A Fiji Festival: The Story of the War of the Fish-Hook", The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine (February 1904), no. 67, pp. 519 - 526
  • Evelyne de Chazeaux, Lettres des Mers du Sud, Musée de l'Homme (Paris, France, 1974), reproduced after p. 434, plate 33
  • James L. Yarnall, "John La Farge and Henry Adams in the South Seas" (Master's thesis, University of Chicago, 1976), Unpublished, p. 54; reproduced, fig. 20
  • Henry B. Adams, The Letters of Henry Adams, ed. J. C. Levenson, Eleanor Pearre Abbot, and Jayne N. Samuels, Belknap Press (Cambridge, MA, 1982 - 1988), reproduced in b/w, vol. 3, p. 498

Exhibition History

  • An Exhibition of the Work of John La Farge, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 03/23/1936 - 04/26/1936
  • Special Exhibition of Drawings, Century Association, New York, 04/08/1938 - 04/30/1938

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu