Miggles
Artist
George de Forest Brush
(American, 1855-1941)
CultureAmerican
Date1880
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 47 3/4 x 74 1/2 in. (121.3 x 189.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 62 3/4 x 90 in. (159.4 x 228.6 cm)
Overall, Frame: 62 3/4 x 90 in. (159.4 x 228.6 cm)
InscribedFormerly inscribed on the reverse: GEORGE DE FOREST BRUSH;
painted in Paris about 1880 under;
his teacher, Jean Leon Gerome;
and sold to Wilbur Dixon Ellis
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.625
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 214
Label TextGeorge de Forest Brush American, 1855–1941 Miggles, 1880 Oil on canvas In an 1869 short story by American writer Bret Harte (1836–1902), stranded stagecoach travelers seek shelter in the cabin of a young woman named Miggles. They are shocked to discover that such a beautiful girl has chosen to fend for herself deep in the forest, rather than enjoying the comforts of city life. Here the painter George de Forest Brush presents the fearless Miggles in a moment of repose, contrasting her femininity with the massive size of her pet grizzly, Joaquin, just behind in the shadows. Though Brush studied art in Paris and developed a precise, academic style, he often made Native Americans and Wild West stories like Miggles the basis for his paintings. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.625 ProvenanceRichard Castellane, New York, N.Y., 1969; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. to the Chrysler Museum, 1971 Exhibition History"Third Exhibition of the Society of American Artists," American Art Gallery, New York, 1880, no. 108. "Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum," Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, Va., March 1 - July 4, 1976. "George de Forest Brush (1855-1941): Master of the American Renaissance," Berry-Hill Galleries, New York, N.Y., November 13 - December 14, 1985; The Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, N.H., January 12 - February 16, 1986; The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, March 2 - April 2, 1986; The Fine Art Center at Cheekwood, Nashville, Tenn., May 17 - July 6, 1986. Published References"The Exhibitions: IV - Society of American Artists," _American Art Review_ (1880): 261. S.N. Carter (?), "II. The Society of American Artists," _The Art Journal_ Vol. 6 (1880): 155?. "George De Forest Brush," _Century Magazine_ 43 (February 1892): 638. Samuel Isham, _The History of American Painting_ (New York: Macmillan Company, 1905), 492. Nancy Douglas Bowditch, _George De Forest Brush_ (Peterborough, NH: William L. Bauhan, 1970), 16. Dennis R. Anderson, _Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum_, exh. cat., Norfolk, Va., 1975, 103. Joan B. Morgan, _George De Forest Brush (1855-1941): Master of the American Renaissance_, exh. cat., Berry-Hill Gallery, New York, N.Y., 1985, 60, no. 4. Martha N. Hagood and Jefferson C. Harrison, _American Art at the Chrysler Museum: Selected Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings_ (Norfolk, Va.: Chrysler Museum of Art, 2005), 108, no. 65. Nancy K. Anderson, _George de Forest Brush: The Indian Paintings_, exh. cat., Washington D.C., 2008, 45, fig. 11. Jennifer R. Henneman, ed., _Near East to Far West: Fictions of French and American Colonialism_, exh. cat., Denver Art Museum in association with Yale University Press, New Haven, 2023, 225, fig. 3.
Bruce Davidson
