Thomas Wilmer Dewing Sold at Auction Prices

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938) Back View of Standing Woman No. 4, by 1910

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938) Back View of Standing Woman No. 4, by 1910 pastel on brown paper laid to board signed TW Dewing and numbered 4 (lower right) 14 1/2 x 11 1/8 inches. This lot is located in Chicago. Property from The Private Collection of Ms. Darla Moore, Charleston, South Carolina

THOMAS DEWING PASTEL, SIGNED, BROOKLYN MUSEUM

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938), "Study in Orange and Rose," 1909, pastel on medium light brown paper, signed to lower center "T.W. Dewing". Catalog note: the pastel presented in this Lot appears to be a companion piece to "In Pink No. 11", as sold by Doyle Auctions on 11/13/2012 as lot 301 for $110,500. In her catalog raisonne, Susan Hobbs also makes note of "Green and White" (Hobbs 63) as being a different angle of the same subject. Provenance: Collection of Susan Levitt Barkoff, by descent from Dr. Irving Levitt, Detroit and New York. Exhibition history: The Brooklyn Museum, March - June, 1996; National Museum of American Art, July - October, 1996; Detroit Institute of Arts, November 1996 - January 1997; on tour as part of "The Art of Thomas Wilmer Dewing: Beauty Reconfigured". Reference: "The Art of Thomas Wilmer Dewing / Beauty Reconfigured", Susan A. Hobbs, No. 64. Note: Ahlers & Ogletree is proud to present a selection of works from the collection of Ms. Susan Levitt Barkoff, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Irving Levitt of Michigan and New York. Dr. & Mrs. Levitt's estate was partially sold at Christie's New York with a selection of works descending to their three children. The Levitt's collection included works by Winslow Homer, William Merritt Chase, Theodore Robinson, John Frederick Peto, and others. During their lifetimes, the Levitts were associated with such organizations as the Detroit Institute of Arts, where Dr. Levitt served on the museum's collections committee and as first president of the Institute's "Friends of the American Wing"; and Kennedy Galleries in Manhattan where Dr. Levitt worked in the 1970's. Mrs. Levitt additionally helped develop the Detroit museum's Kresge Court. Approximate dimensions: paper h. 10.5", w. 7"; frame h. 20.5", w. 17.5", d. 1.5".

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (New York/New Hampshire, 1851-1938), "The South Wind"., Oil on canvas, 58" x 36". Framed 63" x 41.5".

THOMAS WILMER DEWING New York/New Hampshire, 1851-1938 "The South Wind". Titled upper right. Signed and dated lower left "T.W. Dewing 1878". Includes the two-volume Thomas Wilmer Dewing - Beauty into Art: A Catalog Raisonne by Susan A. Hobbs, et al. (2018).

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (NY/NH, 1851-1938)

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (NY/NH, 1851-1938) "Lady in White", pastel on paper, signed verso and dated 1908, in a neo-classical entablature frame, matted and glazed, OS: 14 1/4" x 11 1/2"; SS: 7" x 5". Lightly foxed. From a private collection in Medfield, Mass.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing American, 1851-1938 Female Nude

Thomas Wilmer Dewing American, 1851-1938 Female Nude Signed T. W. Dewing (ll) Graphite and pastel on dark brown paper mounted to board 10 1/2 x 7 inches (26.7 x 17.8 cm) Provenance: Davis and Long Company, New York • 

Thomas Wilmer Dewing American, 1851-1938 Female Nude

Thomas Wilmer Dewing American, 1851-1938 Female Nude Signed T. W. Dewing (ll) Graphite and pastel on dark brown paper mounted to board 10 1/2 x 7 inches (26.7 x 17.8 cm) Provenance: Davis and Long Company, New York • 

Manner of Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851 - 1938)

Manner of Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851 - 1938) Painting of two figures in a landscape. Oil on board. Appears to be unsigned, has not been examined out of frame. Housed in a gilt/carved frame. Sight Size: 9.75 x 11.75 in. Overall Size: 14.75 x 17 in. Framed behind glass.

THOMAS WILMER DEWING | The Dance No. 205

pastel on tan paper mounted on paperboard by the artist

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (AMERICAN, 1851-1938) PANSY COTTON (MARIETTE BENEDICT COTTO

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938) Pansy Cotton (Mariette Benedict Cotton) Charcoal and pencil on paper 17-3/4 x 14 inches (45.1 x 35.6 cm) (sheet) Initialed lower left: TWD PROVENANCE: Mariette Benedict (Mrs. Leslie Cotton), by mid-1880s; Hugh Cotton, son of the above, Schenectady, New York, by descent; Hugh Cotton, Jr., son of the above, Olympia, Washington, by descent; Estate of the above; David Schaff, Ltd., Mendenhall, Pennsylvania; Jill New House, New York; Hollis Taggart Galleries, New York; [With]Adelson Galleries, Inc., New York; Private collection, Massachusetts. EXHIBITED: Adelson Galleries, New York, "Light Impressions: American Works on Paper, 1875-1925," May 9-June 30, 2006, no. 34. LITERATURE: Adelson Galleries, Light Impressions: American Works on Paper, 1875-1925, exhibition catalogue, New York, 2006, p. 43. no. 34, illustrated. Dewing Scholar Dr. Susan A. Hobbes writes: During the mid-1870s Thomas Wilmer Dewing became known for his meticulous black-and-white charcoal portraits. His virtuosity in the medium followed a tradition established in Boston by Charles A. Barry and Samuel Worcester Rowse. These drawings were noted for a fine, realistic modeling that portrayed with care the features of the sitters. This portrait of Mariette Benedict Cotton, however, shows the impact on Dewing of a later influence--that of the English Aesthetic movement. The painters of this movement utilized shallow, foreground, stage-like settings for profile poses against intricate, patterned surfaces. "Dewing, similarly, employed a shallow, friezelike composition in this expressive and contemplative portrait. He silhouetted the young Mariette against a drapery, the folds of which provide a shimmering surface against which he etched her carefully defined form. A strip of pansies along the lower margin of the drawing reasserts the two-dimensional character of the drawing, further emphasizing the decorative quality of the work. The flowers also cleverly refer to Mariette herself, who was known to friends as "Pansy." Dewing obviously knew her by this nickname. In 1883 Mariette traveled from Schenectady, N.Y. to New York City where she became his student at the Art Students League; she was just sixteen years old. The next winter she worked in Paris under Carolus-Duran. Later she spent a winter in Dennis Bunker's studio in Boston, and subsequently, two more winters in New York where she studied under Abbott Handerson Thayer and William Merritt Chase. "In a well-known article, Chase vividly recounted his first meeting with Mariette Benedict Cotton. The young woman had come to his Tenth Street studio to present herself as a prospective pupil but, as Chase remembered, " I saw her only as a splendid model." She agreed to sit for him, and Chase painted all day and into the evening without stopping. ** The result was his famed Lady in Black (Metropolitan Museum of Art). The artist was so inspired by this new model, whom he considered a "treasure find," that he went on to paint her as Lady in Pink (Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design, 1888-89). Mariette Benedict Cotton's distinctive profile, shadowed eyes and dainty mouth are readily apparent in the Chase portrait. Dewing also emphasized these features in his portrait of the young woman. "When he portrayed her, however, Dewing introduced a quality of elusiveness. Shadows play fleetingly across Mariette's face, merging her profile into the drapery behind her. The result is a suggestive, intimate view of the young woman. This effect is derived in part from a calculated use of emphasis and subordination, for with a subtle play of dark and light, Dewing obscured certain features (such as lips, forehead, and chin) and highlighted others (the round cheek and ear). Lady in Yellow, Harmony in Rose and Gray and Lady in Blue, all pastels from the mid-1890s in the 1996 Dewing retrospective, similarly demonstrate the artist's penchant for casting portions of the face, such as the mouth, into shadow. "According to an 1892 article by the critic Mariana G. Van Rennselaer, Mariette Benedict married her fellow artist Leslie Cotton in about 1889.† She continued to paint after which she took a studio in Munich. She had first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1889, winning honorable mention for a portrait; subsequently when she exhibited at the Royal Academy in London critics praised her portrait of a well-known Boston Brahmin. Van Rennselaer fully expected Mariette Benedict Cotton to become a favorite portrait painter with a 'fine clientele,' due to the 'vitality' of her work. This vitality may have derived in part from her own liveliness, for according to Chase, Mariette Benedict Cotton possessed a 'vivid personality.' "Dewing's paintings and pastels most often portray women whose intelligence gave them presence and stature. In this drawing, one that is intimate and personal in its close-up view of the sitter, Dewing seems to have paid tribute to Mariette Cotton's talent as well as to her delicate profile." This work will be included in Dr. Susan A. Hobbs' forthcoming Thomas Wilmer Dewing Catalogue Raisonné. HID04901242017

THOMAS WILMER DEWING | Orange Pink No. 8

pastel on board

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (1951-1938): LADY WITH A KITE

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (1951-1938): LADY WITH A KITE Pastel on grey paper, signed ''T.W. Dewing'' lower left, with remains of a Kennedy Galleries, NY label. 17 x 11 in. (sheet), 22 1/2 x 17 1/2 in. (frame): Provenance: Paul Magriel Collection. Salander-O'Reilly Galleries Consigned by Trustees

THOMAS WILMER DEWING, American (1851-1938), "Portrait of Pansy Cotton (Mariette Benedict Cotton)", charcoal and pencil on paper, sig...

THOMAS WILMER DEWING American (1851-1938) "Portrait of Pansy Cotton (Mariette Benedict Cotton)" charcoal and pencil on paper, signed with monogram lower left. 17 1/2 x 13 1/2 inches Provenance: Mariette Benedict (Mrs. Leslie Cotton), by mid-1880s; Hugh Cotton, her son, New York; Hugh Cotton, Jr., Washington, to his estate; David Schaff LTD., Pennsylvania; Jill Newhouse Gallery, New York, New York; Hollis Taggart Galleries, New York, New York; Adelson Galleries, New York, New York; Private Collection, Massachusetts. Exhibitions: Adelson Galleries, New York, Light Impressions: American Works on Paper, 1875-1925, May 9 - June 30, 2006, no. 34, illus. in color, p. 43. Literature: Dr. Susan A. Hobbs, Letter, July, 1996. Other Notes: Click to read the accompanying essay for this lot. Tags: Figurative, Impressionist, Impressionism

Dewing, Woman Holding a Shell, Original

Est. $ 10000 - 15000 Portrait of a Woman Holding a Shell Original. Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938). Original. Pastel and Charcoal on paper. Signed lower left. Gilt wood and plaster frame. Image measures 13.5 inches by 21.5 inches. 33 inches by 25.5 inches overall.

Dewing, Woman Holding a Shell, Original

Est. $ 10000 - 15000 Portrait of a Woman Holding a Shell Original. Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938). Original. Pastel and Charcoal on paper. Signed lower left. Gilt wood and plaster frame. Image measures 13.5 inches by 21.5 inches. 33 inches by 25.5 inches overall.

Dewing, Woman Holding a Shell, Original

Est. $ 10000 - 15000 Portrait of a Woman Holding a Shell Original. Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938). Original. Pastel and Charcoal on paper. Signed lower left. Gilt wood and plaster frame. Image measures 13.5 inches by 21.5 inches. 33 inches by 25.5 inches overall.

Thomas Dewing, Woman Holding a Shell, Original

Est. $ 10000 - 15000 Portrait of a Woman Holding a Shell Original. Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938). Original. Pastel and Charcoal on paper. Signed lower left. Gilt wood and plaster frame. Image measures 13.5 inches by 21.5 inches. 33 inches by 25.5 inches overall.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938), A Reflective Moment, Signed and numbered "TW Dewing/201" l.r., Condition: Shallow abrasion

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938) A Reflective Moment Signed and numbered "TW Dewing/201" l.r. Pastel and charcoal on paperboard, 14 3/16 x 11 in. (36.1 x 27.9 cm), framed. Condition: Shallow abrasion u.r. Provenance: Milch Galleries, New York (by May 1926); Macbeth Galleries, New York (by April 19, 1929); Henry Kleeman Gallery, New York; acquired from the above by Chester Robertson, Pelham Manor, New York (c. 1950); by descent to his daughter Jane Hacke; Christie's New York, March 14, 1991, Lot 51; Private Collection, Los Angeles; Sotheby's New York, September 27, 2011, Lot 253; Private Collection, New York; through to the current owner. Exhibitions: Thomas Wilmer Dewing: A Pastel Exhibition, Milch Galleries, New York, May 1926. (CANNOT FIND REFERENCE FOR THIS IN WORLD CAT, check with the consignor). N.B. A Reflective Moment will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Thomas Wilmer Dewing prepared by Dr. Susan Hobbs and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing1851 - 1938

Thomas Wilmer Dewing1851 - 1938

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) The Palm Leaf Fan signed 'T.W. Dewing' (lower right) oil on panel 24 x 17½ in. (60.9 x 44.4 cm.) Painted circa 1906.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing American, 1851-1938 In Pink No 11, 1910

Thomas Wilmer Dewing American, 1851-1938 In Pink No 11, 1910 Signed T. W. Dewing and numbered 11 (lc); bears title on Montross Gallery label on the reverse Pastel, chalk and graphite pencil on brown paper 10 1/4 x 7 inches Provenance: Anson Conger Goodyear, Buffalo, NY, by purchase from Montross Gallery, New York, probably 1911 Gift to his wife, Mary Forman Goodyear, before 1940, the date per her son Stephen Goodyear, who indicated that she likely gave the pastel away Exhibited: Buffalo, NY, Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Collection of Drawings lent by Mr. and Mrs. Anson C. Goodyear, Sep.29-Oct. 21, 1923, no. 27, as In Pink Literature: May 17 1910 pastel no 11 finished framed & sent to Montross named 'in Pink' May 31 1911 sold by Montross, Dewing Daybooks (the artist's studio records, archived in the papers of a descendant) A. Conger Goodyear, Card File, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y., no. 37, unknown date; "Collection of Drawings Lent to the Albright Art Gallery by Mr. and Mrs. Anson C. Goodyear," Academy Notes (BFAA), vol. 18 (Jul.-Dec. 1923), pp. 61, illus. 58 in an installation The present work is included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of the work of Thomas Wilmer Dewing in preparation by Susan A. Hobbs, Ph.D. We extend our thanks to Dr. Hobbs for her very kind assistance in documenting this work. C 

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) Portrait of a Woman signed and numbered 'TW Dewing/107' (lower right) pastel on paperboard 14½ x 11¼ in. (36.8 x 28.6 cm.)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) Woman in Black: Portrait of Maria Oakey Dewing signed and dated 'T.W. Dewing 1887' (lower right) oil on panel 19 x 12¼ in. (48.3 x 31.1 cm.)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) Woman in Black: Portrait of Maria Oakey Dewing signed and dated 'T.W. Dewing 1887' (lower right) oil on panel 19 x 12¼ in. (48.3 x 31.1 cm.)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing American, 1851-1938 Portrait of a Lady Signed TWDewing and numbered 17 (lr) Pa...

Thomas Wilmer Dewing American, 1851-1938 Portrait of a Lady Signed TWDewing and numbered 17 (lr) Pastel on card 10 1/2 x 7 1/8 inches Provenance: Greer McInnis Marechal, Dayton, Ohio Thence by descent to the present owner This exquisite small profile portrait in pastel was one of ten works by Thomas Dewing purchased by the gallerist William Macbeth on April, 19, 1929. It is identified by number in a letter written by Macbeth to Dewing on April 25, 1929. [Macbeth Gallery Papers, Second series, Correspondence with Artists, Collectors, Sellers, Institutions, other Galleries, etc., 1911-1933; frames 634 and 625, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Mr. Robert McIntyre, 1959] The present work is included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of the work of Thomas Dewing in preparation by Susan A. Hobbs, Ph.D.

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (American, 1851-1938) SHEER GREEN.

Oil on artist board portrait of a young woman seated sideways to the viewer wearing a multi-green long dress against a similar green background. Signed lower left "T W Dewing". Housed in a gesso decorated deep gold frame. SIZE: 17" x 9". CONDITION: Minor spot inpainting, very good. 9-20394

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) Green and Gold signed and numbered 'T W Dewing/160' (lower right) pastel on paper 13½ x 10½ in. (34.3 x 26.7 cm.) Executed in 1923, 1925-26.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) The Music Lesson signed 'TW Dewing' (lower right) oil on canvas 16 x 14 in. (40.6 x 35.6 cm.)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) Woman in Blue Dress signed 'TW Dewing' (lower right) pastel on paperboard 10½ x 7 in. (26.7 x 17.8 cm.) Executed circa 1920.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing Attr Wading Cattle Pastel

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) Attributed; wading cattle with castle in the mist; pastel on paper; 11 1/2" x 9 1/2"; signed in pencil lower right.

Lady in a Purple Dress

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) Lady in a Purple Dress signed 'T W Dewing' (lower center) oil on panel 19¾ x 15¾ in. (50.2 x 40 cm.)

Seated Lady in a Yellow Dress

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) Seated Lady in a Yellow Dress signed and inscribed 'T W Dewing/104' (lower right) pastel on paper 14¼ x 11¼ in. (36.2 x 28.6 cm.)

Lady Standing Holding a Cello

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) Lady Standing Holding a Cello signed and inscribed 'T W Dewing/3' (lower right) pastel on paper 14½ x 11½ in. (36.8 x 29.2 cm.)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938), The Duet, alternatively titled The Interlude, Signed "T W Dewing" l.r., identified on label

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (American, 1851-1938) The Duet, alternatively titled The Interlude Signed "T W Dewing" l.r., identified on labels from the Paul Magriel Collection, Museums at Sunrise, Charleston, West Virginia, and Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn, New York. Oil on canvas, 20 x 30 in. (50.8 x 76.2 cm), framed. Condition: Lined, scattered retouch and varnish inconsistencies. Exhibitions: "A Gathering of Friends: Early Artists of the Cornish Colony," Cornish Colony Museum, Windsor, Vermont, May 26-October 28, 2007; "Art & Entertainment- From Toulouse-Lautrec to Red Grooms," Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn, New York, November 18, 2007-February 3, 2008. N.B. Thomas Wilmer Dewing, a Boston native and founding member of the Impressionist artists' group The Ten, is best known for his refined and poetic figural works which challenge conceptions of beauty, femininity, and women's role in society. Dewing played with elements of ambiguity, intimacy and isolation within his subtle compositions. His dreamlike images feature ethereal women bathed in light who stand in contrast to their bare, shadowed environment. These wispy figures, emerging out of the simple background, are weighted by their full skirts which contrast their elongated necks, shoulders, and arms. Later in his career, Dewing began to play with the spatial relationship between two figures within a composition, as he does here. He exploited the distance between two women "using the expanse between [them] to suggest subtle psychological tensions." (1) These compositions underscore Dewing's attempt to create a mood of aloofness and separation. Perhaps borrowing from Johannes Vermeer's compositions, Dewing used symbolic objects in his compositions to create mood and activate the viewer's imagination. (2) He frequently depicted women with musical instruments which create an "emotional atmosphere and sense of reverie" (3) (1) Hobbs, Susan A. The Art of Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Beauty Reconfigured (The Brooklyn Museum). 1996. p 175. (2) ibid. p 35. (3) ibid. p 195.

THOMAS WILMER DEWING. WATERCOLOR.

AMERICAN. 1851-1938. THE DANCING GOAT. SIGNED WITH INITIALS AND IN PENCIL, TITLED AND ANNOTATED. WATERCOLOR ON CARD STOCK. 6 1/2" X 11" IMAGE SIZE. FROM THE PELHAM ESTATE."

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (American 1851-1938)

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (American, 1851-1938) THE BLUE DRESS.Pastel sketch half portrait of a woman with a blue dress and brown hair. Light shines from the left side casting a shadow over the right part of her face. Signed lower right "TW Dewing". Housed in a magnificent period deep shadowbox type frame with gilt gesso decoration. A gilt artist plaque is affixed to liner. SIZE: Sight: 10-1/2" x 8-1/2". CONDITION: Very good. 9-91767

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (American 1851 - 1938)

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (American 1851 - 1938) Lady with a Kite, circa 1898-1902 Pastel on paper 14-¾ x 9-½in. Signed in graphite at lower left, T W Dewing with a diagonal line drawn beneath the surname Abraded inscription by another hand in ink on verso: N o? t for sale? PROVENANCE: Paul Magriel Collection, no. PM-X177 (label verso); Private Collection Inspired by the work of James McNeill Whistler, Thomas Dewing began producing delicate pastel drawings on colored paper during the 1890s, a practice he continued until the early 1920s. While he had made drawings earlier in his career, Dewing had previously worked in monochromatic media or watercolor in a tighter academic style, and seldom explored the subject for which he became best known in his paintings, i.e. elegant women often lost in reverie or wandering in lush, highly atmospheric landscapes. By 1890, less than a year after Whistler's 1889 exhibition of pastel drawings at the Wunderlich Gallery in New York, which drew considerable critical attention, Dewing started using pastel in earnest. His first pastel dates to 1890 and his first recorded sale of a pastel was in December 1893, when he sold two nudes to Charles Lang Freer. A great admirer and patron of Whistler, Freer also became an important collector of Dewing's work. As the present work demonstrates, the atmospheric possibilities of pastel suited Dewing's style of handling pigment and his preferred type of ethereal imagery. The iridescence of the woman's dress as well as a sense of windy movement is beautifully conveyed in Lady with a Kite through a blending and smudging of the chalks. The crisper outlines of the woman's lithe arms, waistline, and slender neck are achieved with the sharper edge of the pastel stick. Scholars of Dewing's work have identified a number of factors which can serve as aids in establishing a chronology for the artist's largely undated corpus of pastels. These include: the type and color of paper, sheet size, and his manner of inscribing the drawings. While helpful, these rules of thumb are not absolute. In emulation of Whistler's small format pastels, which measured a fairly consistent 10-½ x 6-¾ inches, Dewing worked on the same small-sized sheets from 1890 to circa 1915. Through the 1890s he often used the blue-gray paper Whistler himself preferred, the so-called "Whistler paper." In fact, in 1893, Freer took the liberty of sending Dewing some of the very paper Whistler used for his own work, although as Susan B. Hobbs noted, Dewing turned to a more finely textured paper than Whistler since his drawing style was smoother and also considerably more tonal than Whistler's (Susan B. Hobbs, The Art of Thomas Wilmer Dewing. Beauty Reconfigured, exh. cat., Washington and London, 1996, p. 199). From the mid 1910s into the early 1920s, when he produced pastels primarily for exhibition rather than for individual clients, Dewing used a larger paper, measuring 15 x 11 ½ inches. In addition to the glue-gray paper, Dewing also used beige, medium brown, and even deeper brown paper, the latter being particularly effective in achieving very low tonal contrast with his figurative elements. At first the artist merely signed his pastels "T.W. Dewing" but in 1909, according to his studio records, he also began adding a small number below the signature to keep track of the pastels when he sent them to exhibition. Dating the present work on the basis of these general rules of thumb is not the best approach since the work is at once larger in format (like the later pastels), but bears no number next to the signature (a characteristic of the early works). In spite of this contradiction, it is possible to date Lady with a Kite quite accurately on the basis of style, subject, and signature type. The pastel is handled with more pressure and the body of the woman has a firm sense of volume, two elements which point to a date in the later 1890s. So, too, does the specific subject of women outside in a landscape, using their arms in an active way such that their limbs and torsos are in obvious contrapposto. For example, in Lady with a Kite, the figure's arms are pulled in the opposite direction from the hips and head. A similar effect can be found in figures populating Dewing's three-panel screen of Morning Glories of 1898 in the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (Hobbs, fig. 71, p. 140) and The Garland of 1899 in the collection of Peter G. Terian. Nearly identical to the twist of the woman's strawberry blond head, and the line of her neck, ear, and cheek revealed by the swept up coiffure is the disposition of the head of the protagonist in Dewing's important work, The Spinet of circa 1901-2 (oil on panel, 15 ½ x 20 in.), in the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, a gift of Dewing's other most important patron, John Gellaty. The signature on The Spinet is very similar in style and placement to that of Lady with a Kite, possessing a forward slant and the same amount of space between the letters (Hobbs, cat. 38, p. 165). Around the same time he drew Lady with a Kite, Thomas Dewing became a founding member of the Ten American Painters, a group of artists who seceded from the Society of American Artists in 1897 after becoming dissatisfied with its aesthetic aims and exhibition policies. Dewing represented the tonalist wing, while Childe Hassam was at the opposite pole with full-blown impressionism. Dewing is regarded as one of the most important figures associated with the Boston School. Pastels such as the present work were a significant facet of Dewing's oeuvre, and he exhibited them widely as finished works of art. As an important signal of this fact, they rarely occur without a signature.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

Lady in a Lavender Dress signed and inscribed 'TW Dewing 7' (lower right) pastel on paperboard 10 1/2 x 7 in. (26.7 x 17.8 cm.) Executed circa 1910.

Thomas W. Dewing (American, 1851-1938), Victorian woman, pastel on gray paper, 12" x 8", signed T. W. Dewing, lower right

THOMAS WILMER DEWING American (1851-1938)

'Girl with Red Hair" pastel, 8 3/4 x 5 1/4, signed lower left.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

Reclining Nude oil on panel 6 x 10 1/2 in. (15.2 x 26.7 cm.)

Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

Girl Reading (Antoinette) signed 'TW Dewing' (lower right) oil on panel 12 x 8 in. (30.5 x 20.3 cm.) PROVENANCE Gilbert H. Montague, New York. Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, Estate of Gilbert H. Montague, May 5-6, 1961, lot 276. William H. Bender, Bronxville, New York. Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, Estate of Mrs. William H. Bender Jr, April 21, 1977, lot 98. Mrs. George Arden, New York, until 1991. Private Collection, Mississippi.

THOMAS WILMER DEWING

1851 - 1939 MORNING Signed l/l in pencil "T.W. Dewing" Oil on canvas 29 x 11 7/8 inches 73.7 x 30.2 cm Provenance: S.S. Dustin New York William T. Evans, New York, by purchase from Dustin in the sale of his private collection, American Art Association March 31, April 1-2, 1913 #18, titled "Morning" Purchased by M. Knoedler and Co. New York, New York Burton Mansfield, New Haven Connecticut April 1913 from Knoedler & Co. Sold April 7 1933 at "American Landscapes, the private Collection of the Late Burton Mansfield", American Art Association, #57, titled "Summer Morning" Grand Central Art Galleries, according to the label on the reverse, date unknown Private Collection, North Carolina Note: A four page letter written by Dr. Susan Hobbs, author of the forthcoming Dewin catalogue raisonne, outlining the history of this work accompanies this lot. Our thanks to her for her research and expertise. Exhibited: "International Exposition of Art", Venice, 1909 "13th Annual Exhibition, New Haven Paint and Clay Club", April 8 -26, 1914, #18, lent by Burton Mansfield Morgan Memorial, Hartford, Connecticut, 1920 Literature: American Art Annual vol II, 1914, p. 430 "The List of Principal Sales", the New york Sun, April 1, 1913, Thomas B. Clarke Scrapbook N597 frame 347, Archive of American Art "New York Stock Books, M. Knoedler and Co., December 1911-December 1920, p. 60, #13155 William H. Truettner, "William T. Evans, Collector of American Paintings", American Art Journal, vol 3, Fall 1971, p. 74.

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (1851-1938)

JUNE signed " T. Dewing, " l.r. - - oil on canvas 20 1/4 x 9 1/8 in. (51.3 x 23.2 cm.) PROVENANCE E. A. Milch Company, New York Edwin C. Shaw, Akron Akron Art Institute, Akron Victor Spark, New York Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York " June " is the embodiment of a theme that intrigued Dewing for thirty years. The images of women in gardens reflected his vision of contemporary American life as a psychic state, a weightless Edenic existence, and combined this vision with references to classical art that were both personal to him and universal to Symbolist art. Dewing pioneered a Symbolist synthesis in America in which the essences of inner life were expressively implied in the manipulation of form, line and color. His later approach to painting, in allowing meaning to emerge from the abstract treatment of motif, eluded many, except for a "few choice spirits" such as Charles Lang Freer and Dwight Tryon. This painting, executed " circa " 1920, continues Dewing's interest in the symbolist, themes. A letter dated October 15, 1987, from Dr. Susan Hobbs discussing this painting, accompanies the lot.