Lot 49: John Randolph Stites (1836-1888) Arctic Pastime 25 x 30in overall: 30 x 35in

John Randolph Stites (1836-1888)
Arctic Pastime signed 'J. R. Stites' (lower left)oil on canvas25 x 30inoverall: 30 x 35in
This painting may have been influenced by a passage from Elisha Kent Kane's 1868 book, Arctic Explorations. In it she writes 'An adjacent slope of ice covered rock, with an angle of 45 degrees, was so warm and covered with hair as to suggest the idea that they [polar bears] had fun amusing themselves by sliding down it on their haunches, a performance by the way, in which I afterwards sought myself.' (Page 278, Volume 1) A handwritten note with this passage is affixed to the reverse.