4x5 transparency scanned on Hasselblad Flextight X1 by Ed Pollard-2009.

Waiting for William

Artist John George Brown (American, 1831-1913)

Date1879

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions30 x 20 in. (76.2 x 50.8 cm)
Overall, Frame: 45 x 36 in. (114.3 x 91.4 cm)

ClassificationsAmerican art

Credit LineGift of the Mowbray Arch Society

Object number98.23

Terms

Woman
Seascape
Water
Black
White
Yellow
Tan
Red
Brown
Genre
Portrait
Brooklyn, New York

Collections

American Art before 1945

On View

On view

DescriptionThis 19th-century American genre painting depicts a well-dressed young woman who sits alone on a empty beach, near the water's edge. Sitting slouched on a wooden support, she gazes out to sea, perhaps with thoughts of the William in the title of the painting. The point of her parasol rests between two L's of William's name, which she has written in the sand. She is dressed in a very fine white dress with a pale yellow shawl and barely holds the matching yellow parasol with her right hand.

Label TextJohn George Brown American, 1831–1913 Waiting for William, 1879 Oil on canvas Hope, fear, sadness, and affection—such complex emotions bring life to this young woman’s face as she dreams of a loved one far away. This painting by John George Brown depicting a fancily dressed young woman gazing longingly out to sea leaves much to the imagination. It also borrows from the popular culture of the Victorian period, for the melancholic theme of the woman faithfully waiting by the sea was a staple of late nineteenth-century sentimental poetry and parlor songs. Gift of the Mowbray Arch Society 98.23