The Man Who Rented Boats

Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Man Who Rented Boats, n.d., oil on canvas mounted on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins, 1983.95.203
Copied Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Man Who Rented Boats, n.d., oil on canvas mounted on plywood, 9 1⁄4 x 12 3⁄8 in. (23.5 x 31.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins, 1983.95.203
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
The Man Who Rented Boats
Artist
Date
n.d.
Location
Dimensions
9 1⁄4 x 12 3⁄8 in. (23.5 x 31.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas mounted on plywood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — toy — vehicle
  • Occupation — vendor
  • Landscape — lake
  • Landscape — park
  • Children
  • Figure group
Object Number
1983.95.203
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.95.203

Artwork Description

This spot in a Paris park where vendors rented toy boats reflects the charm that led Henry Ossawa Tanner to settle in Paris in 1891. In 1909, Tanner wrote that, “After having been in Paris a week, I [found] conditions so to my liking that I completely forgot that when I left New York I had made my plans to study in Rome.” (Mosby, Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1991) As in many of his studies, he sketched this scene in oil instead of pencil.