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A loose drawing of two figures in loose layered clothing, in black and white chalk on brown paper.

Two figures wear fabric wrapped around their heads, short jackets with rounded hems, wide belts, and loose draped pants which are cinched at the calf by fabric which is wrapped around their legs and droops over their shoes slightly. The figure on the left raises a fist to their mouth and holds a rifle with a bayonet upright next to them. The figure on the right holds a horizontal object up, as if they are peering down its length. This object may be another rifle, but it is unclear as it is only indicated with a single line.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2017.1
People
Winslow Homer, American (Boston, MA 1836 - 1910 Prouts Neck, ME)
Title
Our Zouaves
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
1864
Culture
American
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/357243

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Black and white chalk on faded blue laid paper
Dimensions
33.2 × 28 cm (13 1/16 × 11 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: lower left, graphite: HOMER / 1864
  • inscription: center, white chalk: BR[?]
  • gallery label: back of former frame, printed and inscribed: M. KNOEDLER & CO., INC / 14 EAST 57TH STREET / NEW YORK, N.Y. / [printed:] P [black ballpoint ink:] WCA 2332 [printed:] F / [printed:] TITLE [black ballpoint ink:] "Two Zouaves" / by / WINSLOW HOMER / [blue crayon:] #39 / [black ballpoint ink:] CHARCOAL DRAWING
  • gallery label: back of former frame: ATHERTON / GALLERY / ATHERTON, CA.

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Winslow Homer, sold [through Charles F. Libbie & Co., Boston, May 29, 1878]. Dr. Henry C. Angell, Boston, before 1879, gift; to Ingersoll Bowditch, Boston, circa 1925, by descent; to Sylvia Scudder Bowditch, Cornelia Bowditch, and Katherine Bowditch Codman, Boston, circa 1935, sold; to [The Old Print Shop, New York] and [M. Knoedler & Co., New York, 1959] [1], sold; to Ethel and Oscar Huffman, 1963, by descent; to private collection, United States, circa 1970, sold; [through Sotheby's, New York, November 21, 2016, lot 13]; to Harvard Art Museums, 2016

Notes
[1] According to the Knoedler Stockbook, the drawing was co-owned by The Old Print Shop and M. Knoedler & Co.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Richard Norton Memorial Fund
Accession Year
2017
Object Number
2017.1
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
The figure at left is incised, and the verso of the drawing behind this figure is blackened with chalk.

Publication History

  • Catalogue of an Exhibition of Contemporary Art held under the direction of The Boston Art Club, the Boston Society of Architects, and the Schools at the Museum, exh. cat., Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Boston, 1879), p. 33, no. 645, as "Study of Zouaves"
  • Winslow Homer, exh. cat., Worcester Art Museum (Worcester, MA, 1944), no. 85
  • A Loan Exhibition of Winslow Homer for the Benefit of the New York Botanical Garden, exh. cat., Wildenstein & Company (New York, 1947), no. 89, as "Zouaves"
  • Winslow Homer: A Retrospective Exhibition, exh. cat., National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C, 1958), p. 128, cat. no. 195
  • Winslow Homer: A Retrospective Exhibition, exh. cat., Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Boston, MA, 1959), p. 102, cat. no. 151, as "Zouaves"
  • Lucretia Hoover Giese, "Winslow Homer: Painter of the Civil War" (Ph.D Diss., Harvard University, 1985), Unpublished, p. 247 note 55
  • Lloyd Goodrich and Abigail Booth Gerdts, Record of Works by Winslow Homer, Spanierman Gallery (New York, 2005-2014), vol. 1, p. 289, no. 234, repr. p. 289

Exhibition History

  • Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 04/22/1879 - 05/24/1879
  • Winslow Homer, Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, 11/16/1944 - 12/17/1944
  • A Loan Exhibition of Works by Winslow Homer for the Benefit of the New York Botanical Gardens, Wildenstein Gallery, New York, New York, 02/19/1947 - 03/22/1947
  • Winslow Homer: A Retrospective Exhibition, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 11/23/1958 - 01/04/1959; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 01/29/1959 - 03/08/1959; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, 03/26/1959 - 05/03/1959
  • Winslow Homer: Eyewitness, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 08/31/2019 - 01/05/2020

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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