Sun and Shadow on the Beach

Provenance
Sale, Christie’s, New York, New York, January 23, 2025, lot 381

Related Works (see following pages)
Gossiping on the Beach, oil on board, c. 1915, signed lower right: Martha Walter; Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Day at the Beach, oil on board, 13 ¾ x 18 inches, signed lower left: Martha Walter; Private collection

Note: Martha Walter was an American painter and a student of William Merritt Chase, renowned for her vivid Impressionist compositions. In the 1910s, she became particularly known for her vibrant depictions of beach scenes, portraying crowds of sunlit figures with a remarkable sense of movement and atmosphere. Her paintings capture the spirit of early 20th-century seaside leisure, brought to life through expressive brushwork, luminous color, and a keen sensitivity to light and shadow. Walter’s ability to distill fleeting moments into vivid visual impressions has made her one of the most distinctive voices in American Impressionism.