Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2022.

A Boy and His Dog (Dickey Hunt)

Artist John La Farge (American, 1835 - 1910)

CultureAmerican

Date1868-1869

MediumOil on paperboard laid on canvas

Dimensions40 × 34 in. (101.6 × 86.4 cm)

Credit LineGift of Thomas Colville Fine Art, LLC in honor of Macon and Joan Brock

Object number2022.24

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 213

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting of a seated boy next to a seated dog. The two appear to be outdoors and are posed glancing at each other. The boy has long hair and a red outfit, while the dog wears a simple collar around its neck.
Label TextJohn La Farge American, 1835–1910 A Boy and His Dog (Dickey Hunt), 1868–69 Oil on paperboard laid on canvas This portrait captures Richard Morris Hunt Jr., the son of the artist’s close friend, on the cusp of a pivotal moment in the life a boy during the Victorian period, when he received his first haircut at around age 7. Beyond presenting a straightforward likeness, the artist reveled in the rich colors, patterns, and textures of the boy’s clothes, the woodland setting, and even the lithe figure of the greyhound. La Farge was one of the most influential artists of the late nineteenth century, whose aesthetic interests spanned painting and the decorative arts. He produced only a few figure paintings like this one, specializing instead in still life, and later forging a career as one of the nation’s foremost stained glass artists. Gift of Thomas Colville Fine Art, LLC in honor of Macon and Joan Brock 2022.24 ProvenanceAlbert Stickney, New York, 1884(?)–1908 to Mrs. Albert Stickney, New York, 1908–11 to J.G. Butler, Jr., Youngstown, Ohio, 1912(?)–1923 to Edwin C. Shaw, Akron, Ohio, 1923–41 to Caroline Shaw, Akron, Ohio, 1941–55 to The Estates of James A. & Dorothy C. Vaughn, Sea Island, Georgia, 1955–2008 to Freeman’s Auction House, Philadelphia, December 7, 2008, Lot 97 to Thomas Colville Fine Art, LLC to CMA Exhibition HistoryNational Academy of Design, New York, 1874, cat. no. 72. Inter-State Industrial Exposition, Probably, Chicago, 1875, cat. no. 23. Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1876, cat. no. 417. Pierce & Co., Boston, 1878, 2nd day, cat. no. 12. Society of American Artists, New York, 1880, cat. no. 58. Königliche Glaspalaste, Munich, 1883, cat. no. 1130. Ortgies & Co., New York, 1884, cat. no. 24. Vose Gallery, Boston, 1911, cat. no. 97. Panama-Pacific Exposition, San Francisco, 1915, cat. no. 2674. Akron Art Museum, Akron, Ohio, The Edwin C. Shaw Collection of American Impressionist and Tonalist Painting, April 19–June 29, 1986. Museum of Art, Science & Industry, Bridgeport, Connecticut, American Artists Abroad: Painting In The European Style, September 27–November 9, 1986. Published ReferencesWilliam Robinson, The Edwin C. Shaw Collection of American Impressionist and Tonalist Painting (Akron: Akron Art Museum, 1986), 80–81, illustrated. James L. Yarnall, “A Beautiful Child and a Portrait Commission Gone Awry: The Richard Morris Hunts and John La Farge,” American Art Journal 29 (1998): 86–97. Art News, March 31, 1923, p. 1.