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Childe Hassam

The Messenger Boy, 1903

Description

Maker

  • Childe Hassam, 1859-1935, American

Title

The Messenger Boy

Year

1903

Medium

Oil on canvas

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • oil paint

Dimensions

47 x 82.2 cm (18 1/2 x 32 3/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Pencilled on stretcher:C. Hassam, Little Shoemaker's shop

Type

  • Paintings

Credit

Jesse Metcalf Fund

Object Number

03.002

Projects & Publications

Publications

Anna Richards Brewster

American Impressionist

Selection VII

American Painting from the Museum's Collection, c.1800-1930

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Making It In America

October 11, 2013 - February 9, 2014

While studying in Paris in the 1880s, Hassam acquired an appreciation of the French Impressionists’ fresh palette and broken brushstroke. He applied these techniques in his landscapes and city views, including some of Manhattan, where he spent his winters.

In this snowy street scene, a courier trudges past storefronts, carrying documents from one business to another. The subject is unusual for Hassam, who had little interest in depicting the grittier conditions of urban life. Even here he remains primarily concerned with composition and with the evocative weather conditions that veil the street in blue and yellow light.

An American Idyll

April 6, 2007 - January 6, 2008

American Paintings from the Museum's Collection

February 10 - April 1, 1999

From the Reserve IV

July 22 - October 2, 1994

Romanticism and Revival

December 4, 1992 - June 26, 1993

Selection VII

March 31 - May 8, 1977

Days Gone By

July 1 - September 26, 1971

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is The Messenger Boy with the accession number of 03.002. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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