Dowager in a Wheelchair

Philip Evergood, Dowager in a Wheelchair, 1952, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.90
Philip Evergood, Dowager in a Wheelchair, 1952, oil on fiberboard, 47 7⁄8 x 36 in. (121.5 x 91.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.90

Artwork Details

Title
Dowager in a Wheelchair
Artist
Date
1952
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
47 7⁄8 x 36 in. (121.5 x 91.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior
  • Architecture — vehicle — taxi
  • State of being — disabled
  • Figure group — female
  • Cityscape — street
Object Number
1986.6.90
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.6.90

Artwork Description

Evergood’s art reflected a deep commitment to social equality and sympathy for human frailty. Recollecting the genesis of Dowager in a Wheelchair, he wrote, “Once I saw a tragic old lady being wheeled on Madison Avenue. She was alive in spirit but her body was only half functioning. She wanted still to be young. A young, gentle, fascinatingly fresh companion was wheeling her. As I passed, spring was in the air, a delicate whiff of lilac perfume mixed with a faint background of crushed rose petals reached my nostril & then my brain. I was disturbed. I stopped when they’d passed and followed their progress through the crowds with my eyes. Taxis & cars were too noisy. I lost sight of them in a few moments. I went sadly on my way with a vivid memory which lingered on. I consider the painting to be one of the very best I ever painted.”


Modern Amerian Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014

Works by this artist (11 items)

View all artworks
Philip Evergood, Workers Houses, Flushing Bay, 1935-1945, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Arnold and Augusta Newman, 1982.130
Workers Houses, Flushing Bay
Artist
Date1935-1945
oil on canvas
On view
Philip Evergood, Dowager in a Wheelchair, 1952, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.90
Dowager in a Wheelchair
Artist
Date1952
oil on fiberboard
Not on view
Philip Evergood, Woodland Romance, ca. 1926-1931, etching on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1971.366
Woodland Romance
Artist
Dateca. 1926-1931
etching on paper
Not on view
Image Not Available
Untitled (Study of a Seated Woman)
Artist
Datenot dated
graphite on paper
Not on view

Audio

Stop 153: Dowager in a Wheelchair

Dowager in a Wheelchair
1952, oil on fiberboard

PHILIP EVERGOOD
Born: New York, New York 1901– Died: Bridgewater, Connecticut 1973

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      Exhibitions

      Media - 1986.6.100 - SAAM-1986.6.100_2 - 135134
      Modern American Realism: Highlights from the Sara Roby Foundation Collection
      Smithsonian American Art Museum
      This exhibition presents some of the most treasured paintings and sculpture from SAAM’s permanent collection, including artworks by Will Barnet, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Jacob Lawrence, George Tooker, among others.