Jessie Willcox Smith

(American, 1863-1935)

In the Rhododendron Garden, c. 1913

oil on canvas

signed Jessie Willcox Smith (lower left)

40 x 24 in.

Provenance:

The Artist.

Frances Stotesbury Mitchell, Pennsylvania.

By descent to Frances Kearsley Mitchell (Mrs. William R. Wister), the sitter.

By descent to William R. Wister, Jr.

By descent to the current owner.

Lot Note:

The mother of the sitter, a dear friend of Jessie Willcox Smith, commissioned this portrait when the sitter was just a few years old. Rendered with a delicate touch, the painting depicts the child against a backdrop of lush rhododendron blossoms–their pink color echoing her blush cheeks and lips. Soft light illuminates the folds of her white dress and the curls of her blonde hair. The child's gaze, direct and inquisitive, along with her raised index finger, suggests a moment of innocent wonder or a playful demand for attention–altogether, a tableau that speaks to the close relationship between the artist and family.

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Adam Veil

VP, Head of Department, American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

[email protected]267.414.1221

Adam Veil serves as Vice President and a Fine Art Specialist at Freeman’s.

Veil joined Freeman’s in 2021 following years of experience in both the auction world and the academy. His area of specialization is pre-WWII American Art, although he has lectured and published on topics ranging from Mexican landscape painting and Old Master printmaking to art market economics.

Veil earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in art history from Penn State University and pursued doctoral studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to joining Freeman’s, Veil was Head of Fine Art at a Washington, D.C.-area auction house, and Executive Director of the Santa Fe Art Auction, where he oversaw market-setting auctions of classical and contemporary Western, Southwestern, and California art. He has also held positions in provenance research, art fair operations, and as editor and producer of The Conversation, a popular Los Angeles–based contemporary art podcast. Concurrent with his role at Freeman’s, Veil is a professor at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses in Renaissance, Modern, and American art history.

American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

In the Rhododendron Garden, c. 1913

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