The Boy with the Arrow

Douglas Volk, The Boy with the Arrow, 1903, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1909.7.68
Douglas Volk, The Boy with the Arrow, 1903, oil on canvas, 46 1836 18 in. (117.191.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1909.7.68
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
The Boy with the Arrow
Artist
Date
1903
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
46 1836 18 in. (117.191.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of William T. Evans
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — tree
  • Recreation — sport and play — archery
  • Portrait male — Volk, Leo — child
Object Number
1909.7.68

Artwork Description

Douglas Volk’s son, Leo, sits in a lush field at twilight, catching his breath from a day's excitement outdoors. He holds the arrow in a relaxed grip, as a confident young hunter would carry his spear. Leo occupies a transitional time in life, no longer a boy and not yet a man. In the early twentieth century the term "adolescence" came into popular use, and psychologists encouraged parents to guide their children through these turbulent years (Mintz, Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood, 2004). The character of Peter Pan, a boy who did not want to grow up, first appeared in the pages of Scribner’s Magazine the year before this painting was made. In this climate, Volk exhibited the painting at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair to great acclaim. He pictured his son as an energetic American boy, but the classical, pastoral setting also conveyed a timeless ideal of youth on the verge of adulthood.

Works by this artist (791 items)

Mary Vaux Walcott, White Flowering Raspberry (Rubus parviflorus), 1905, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.678
White Flowering Raspberry (Rubus parviflorus)
Date1905
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Mary Vaux Walcott, Shortspur Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla), 1907, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.629
Shortspur Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla)
Date1907
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Mary Vaux Walcott, False Indigo (Baptista bructeata), 1932, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.60
False Indigo (Baptista bructeata)
Date1932
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Mary Vaux Walcott, Red Lily (Lilium montanum), 1923, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.350
Red Lily (Lilium montanum)
Date1923
watercolor on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Mary Vaux Walcott, White Flowering Raspberry (Rubus parviflorus), 1905, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.678
White Flowering Raspberry (Rubus parviflorus)
Date1905
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Mary Vaux Walcott, Shortspur Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla), 1907, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.629
Shortspur Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla)
Date1907
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Andrew Wyeth, Chimney Beams, 1950, watercolor on wove paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of Design, 2023.54
Chimney Beams
Date1950
watercolor on wove paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Mountain Lakes, Norway, ca. 1935-1938, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.454
Mountain Lakes, Norway
Dateca. 1935-1938
watercolor on paper
Not on view