Sketch from Nature: Pear Tree in Blossom, 1874
by David Johnson (1827–1908)20 x 13½ inches
Monogrammed and dated lower right: DJ May 17 / 1874; on verso: Sketch from nature / Pear Tree in / Blossom. / David Johnson / 1874.
Provenance
M.R. Schweitzer Gallery, New York, New York
Sale, Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, New York, December 8, 1983, lot 37
Graham Gallery, New York, New York, acquired from above
Private collection, acquired from above, ca. 1983
Sale, Sotheby’s, New York, New York, June 6, 1997, lot 238, from above
Private collection, acquired from above
Sale, Christie’s, New York, New York, January 18, 2024, lot 280
Literature
Gwendolyn Owens, “A Working List of Paintings by David Johnson,” in Nature Transcribed: The Landscapes and Still Lifes of David Johnson (1827-1908) (Ithica, NY: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, 1988), 81 (as Study from Nature: Pear Tree and Blossom).
Related Work
Oak, 1883, graphite and watercolor on paper, 12⅜ x 19 inches, signed and dated lower right; Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas
Artist Biography
As a second-generation member of the Hudson River School, David Johnson experienced artistic success during the second half of the nineteenth century. The style of his rocky landscape scenes tended to coincide with whatever genre the current art market dictated as on trend, with his later works demonstrating a distinctly luminist influence.
By Chelsea DeLay
I. Biography
II. Chronology
III. Collections
IV. Exhibitions
V. Memberships
VI. Suggested Resources
VII. Notes
I. Biography
Born in New York City on May 10, 1827, David Johnson went on to become a skilled landscape artist who led a relatively quiet life.[1] Johnson was essentially a self-taught
