Twilight in the Wilderness
- Date
- 1865
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- American Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 336
- Dimensions
- 20 1/8 x 42 in. (51.1 x 106.7 cm)
framed: 31 x 52 7/8 in. (78.7 x 134.3 cm) - Credit Line
- Friends Endowment Fund, funds given by Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield and Eleanor Moore; bequest of Friederike Gottfried, gift of Nellie Ballard White, Whitaker Charitable Foundation, Mrs. Willard Bartlett, Howard Russell Butler Jr., and James F. Ballard, by exchange
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 22:2007
NOTES
A stand of trees and open field are dramatically silhouetted against a vibrant sunset of orange, yellow, and purple. Most likely painted along the front range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, this scene communicated poetic and symbolic meaning to audiences at the time rather than landscape details.
Painted at the close of the Civil War, such a vivid representation of the end of day provided visual affirmation of the profound trauma Americans had endured. Simultaneously, the grandeur of the scene spoke to American democratic fervor that would carry the country through its distress.
Provenance
by 1973 - still in 1974
Mr. and Mrs. William Postar, Boston, MA [1]
1992 - 1994
Alexander Gallery, New York, NY, acquired at public auction, owned jointly with Michael Altman Fine Art, New York, NY [2]
1994 - 2006
Jane and Richard Manoogian, Grosse Point Farms, MI, purchased from Alexander Gallery and Michael Altman Fine Art [3]
2006 - 2007
Michael Altman Fine Art & Advisory Service, New York, NY, purchased from Jane and Richard Manoogian [4]
2007 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Michael Altman Fine Art & Advisory Service
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the information sheet from Michael Altman Fine Art [SLAM document files].
[1] Mr. and Mrs. William Postar are named as the owners in a 1973-1974 exhibition catalogue ["Alfred Thompson Bricher, 1837-1908." Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1973, no. 6].
[2] Notes from a voicemail message from Laurel Esavito, May 24, 2007 from Alexander Gallery [SLAM document files]. According to Ms. Esavito, Alexander Gallery acquired the painting at public auction in 1992, possibly from Sotheby's. However, the painting does not show up on any auction searches for that year. Ms. Esavito stated that she would check Alexander Gallery's paper files for additional provenance information. Alexander Gallery co-owned the painting with Michael Altman Fine Art [email from Kate Lester of Michael Altman Fine Art, dated June 7, 2007, SLAM document files].
[3] The email from Kate Lester of Michael Altman Fine Art also states that the painting was sold to Manoogian in 1994 and then bought back by Michael Altman Fine Art in 2006 (see note [2]).
[4] See note [3].
[5] Bill of sale from Michael Altman Fine Art, dated July 20, 2007 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 26, 2007; and the Minutes of the Board of Commissioners, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 11, 2007.
Mr. and Mrs. William Postar, Boston, MA [1]
1992 - 1994
Alexander Gallery, New York, NY, acquired at public auction, owned jointly with Michael Altman Fine Art, New York, NY [2]
1994 - 2006
Jane and Richard Manoogian, Grosse Point Farms, MI, purchased from Alexander Gallery and Michael Altman Fine Art [3]
2006 - 2007
Michael Altman Fine Art & Advisory Service, New York, NY, purchased from Jane and Richard Manoogian [4]
2007 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Michael Altman Fine Art & Advisory Service
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the information sheet from Michael Altman Fine Art [SLAM document files].
[1] Mr. and Mrs. William Postar are named as the owners in a 1973-1974 exhibition catalogue ["Alfred Thompson Bricher, 1837-1908." Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1973, no. 6].
[2] Notes from a voicemail message from Laurel Esavito, May 24, 2007 from Alexander Gallery [SLAM document files]. According to Ms. Esavito, Alexander Gallery acquired the painting at public auction in 1992, possibly from Sotheby's. However, the painting does not show up on any auction searches for that year. Ms. Esavito stated that she would check Alexander Gallery's paper files for additional provenance information. Alexander Gallery co-owned the painting with Michael Altman Fine Art [email from Kate Lester of Michael Altman Fine Art, dated June 7, 2007, SLAM document files].
[3] The email from Kate Lester of Michael Altman Fine Art also states that the painting was sold to Manoogian in 1994 and then bought back by Michael Altman Fine Art in 2006 (see note [2]).
[4] See note [3].
[5] Bill of sale from Michael Altman Fine Art, dated July 20, 2007 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 26, 2007; and the Minutes of the Board of Commissioners, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 11, 2007.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.