Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Painting |
Title |
And Praying..., #19 in 'The Two Villages' series |
Catalog Number |
1939.716 |
Creator |
Sawyier, Paul, 1865-1917 |
Maker |
Frankfort |
Date |
ca. 1895 |
Material(s) |
Paint/Paper |
Dimensions |
H-19.5 W-23.5 inches |
Description |
This watercolor is # 19 (and last) in 'The Two Villages' series painted by Paul Sawyier [unsigned] and based on the poem by Rose Terry Cooke. The painting is on separate sheet and adhered to a matte backing. The watercolor contains scenes of the 'two villages,' in two separate ends of the sheet or paper. Each scene is bordered by an amorphous form with three sides composed of scrolls and curves. The image on the left is a view of a steeple silhouette from the city of Frankfort, Kentucky; the other image is a cemetery monument silhouette from the Frankfort Cemetery. Each painting is joined by painted ribbons between the two and intertwining the upper scrolled side of each painting. The ribbons join in the center and are bow knotted around an hourglass. The center of the painting contains the inscription. Below this inscription is the image of Father Time or Death. The image is the upper torso and head of an aged man (gray hair and beard) with wings and he is holding a scythe. The painting partially covers the sheet. Washes of color blend with the sheet. The sheet of paper is adhered to a board. The inscription, unlike most of the other paintings in this series is part of the painting and not placed on the board below. The painted inscription is one line of Cooke's poem. The painting is framed in a gold frame. |
Notes |
Nineteenth in a series of paintings by Sawyier illustrating Rose Terry Cooke's 1860 poem 'The Two Villages,' which contrasts life in a small town with the local cemetery on the hill. Sawyier used scenes from Frankfort and Frankfort Cemetery. Sawyier did three sets of paintings based on the poem. The first set had agricultural images from a man ploughing to a grim reaper in a field. A common question in regards to this series of paintings is how did Sawyier become familiar with a poem written by a woman in New England? It turns out that the poem "The Two Villages" was published in a supplement to the Frankfort Roundabout on February 16, 1895. A note under the title saying "applicable to Frankfort and her cemetery" was added by the editors. Is this how Sawyier first heard of the poem? Maybe. We may never know exactly how he came to know about the poem but it is very possible that he read it in 1895 and then painted the illustrations later in the decade. |
Collection |
Estate of Anne Thomas Collection |
People |
Sawyier, Paul, 1865-1917 Cooke, Rose Terry |
Subjects |
Cemeteries Landscapes Art Painting Paintings Poems Poetry |
Search Terms |
Land Landscapes Impressionism Impressionism (Art) |
Physical Holder |
Kentucky Historical Society - KHS |