Nantucket Sand Dune

Abbott Handerson Thayer, C. Morgan McIlhenney, Nantucket Sand Dune, ca. 1890, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Milton Horn, 1981.62
C. Morgan McIlhenney, Abbott Handerson Thayer, Nantucket Sand Dune, ca. 1890, oil on canvas, 18 x 40 1⁄8 in. (45.6 x 101.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Milton Horn, 1981.62
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Artwork Details

Title
Nantucket Sand Dune
Artists
Formerly attributed to Abbott Handerson Thayer
Date
ca. 1890
Location
Dimensions
18 x 40 1⁄8 in. (45.6 x 101.8 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Milton Horn
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — Massachusetts — Nantucket
  • Landscape — beach
Object Number
1981.62
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1981.62

Artwork Description

This painting was originally attributed to Abbott Handerson Thayer, but closer study reveals it to be by Philadelphia artist Charles Morgan McIlhenney. McIlhenney exhibited a few times at the Boston Art Club and spent time sketching on Nantucket, probably in the late 1880s. Many painters in the late nineteenth century went on sketching trips to New England, creating images of the unsheltered beaches and picturesque towns along the coast. The dark clouds in this oil sketch emphasize the bright sandy slopes and, together with the windswept vegetation, create a haunting view of the Atlantic shore.

Works by this artist (6 items)

View all artworks
Forman Hanna, Pueblo Scene, ca. 1920, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.62
Pueblo Scene
Artist
Dateca. 1920
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Forman Hanna, Pueblo Scene, ca. 1920, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.61
Pueblo Scene
Artist
Dateca. 1920
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Forman Hanna, Young Woman in Pueblo Window, ca. 1925, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.63
Young Woman in Pueblo Window
Artist
Dateca. 1925
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Forman Hanna, Cloud Study, ca. 1925, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.59
Cloud Study
Artist
Dateca. 1925
gelatin silver print
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Bently
Artist
Dateca. 1975
gelatin silver print
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Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled, ca. 1945-1950, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lewis and Jean Greenblatt, 2002.86.9
Untitled
Artist
Dateca. 1945-1950
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled, ca. 1945-1950, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lewis and Jean Greenblatt, 2002.86.7
Untitled
Artist
Dateca. 1945-1950
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Jared French, Margaret French, PaJaMa, Paul Cadmus, PaJaMa (Box A), ca. 1937, gelatin silver prints, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Margaret French, 1999.98.5.16
PaJaMa (Box A)
Artist
Dateca. 1937
gelatin silver prints
Not on view