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Edward Mitchell Bannister, Dorchester 1856, 1856, oil on canvas, 14 1⁄8 x 20 1⁄8 in. (35.9 x 51.1 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. Charles Mandell, 1983.95.81
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Dorchester 1856
- Artist
- Date
- 1856
- Location
- Dimensions
- 14 1⁄8 x 20 1⁄8 in. (35.9 x 51.1 cm.)
- Markings
- lower right in oil: E M Bannister/1856 (written on an angle) frame verso upper right in felt-tipped pen and ink: A-1445. stretcher center in pencil: C. H. M. stretcher upper right in pencil: C. H. stretcher upper left in grease crayon: #A-14452 Bannister, E. M. "Dorchester, 1856" 14" x 20"
- Credit Line
- Gift of Dr. Charles Mandell
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- oil on canvas
- Keywords
- Figure group
- Landscape
- Landscape — river
- Landscape — mountain
- Landscape — United States — Dorchester
- Architecture Exterior — domestic — house
- Object Number
- 1983.95.81
Artwork Description
This is one of Edward Mitchell Bannister's few surviving paintings from the 1850s. In this view of Dorchester, Massachusetts, the artist included the stately homes dotting the coast. This was likely a marketing tactic, for he hoped to appeal to the wealthy merchants living in those "cottages." Bannister spent summers sailing around Massachusetts and Rhode Island on daily outings that allowed him to sketch and paint familiar views for his wealthy patrons in Boston and Providence. (Hartigan, Sharing Traditions, 1985)