The Merry Wives of Windsor: Dr. Caius, Simple and Dame Quickly

Robert Walter Weir, The Merry Wives of Windsor: Dr. Caius, Simple and Dame Quickly, 1830, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 1991.66
Robert Walter Weir, The Merry Wives of Windsor: Dr. Caius, Simple and Dame Quickly, 1830, oil on canvas, 20 7⁄8 x 17 1⁄2 in. (53.1 x 44.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 1991.66
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Artwork Details

Title
The Merry Wives of Windsor: Dr. Caius, Simple and Dame Quickly
Artist
Date
1830
Location
Dimensions
20 7⁄8 x 17 1⁄2 in. (53.1 x 44.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • State of being — emotion — anger
  • Allegory — death
  • State of being — emotion — fear
  • Literature — Shakespeare — Merry Wives of Windsor
  • Architecture Interior
Object Number
1991.66
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1991.66

Artwork Description

American artists, actors, and writers during the nineteenth century were still heavily influenced by English literature, and Shakespeare’s plays enjoyed many revivals. In this painting, Robert W. Weir illustrated a moment in The Merry Wives of Windsor when a character finds his rival’s servant in his closet. Weir gave the two men comical expressions of horror to emphasize the slapstick nature of the scene.

Works by this artist (28 items)

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Berenice Abbott, Central Park Plaza, from Fifth Avenue at 58th Street, 1937, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.18
Central Park Plaza, from Fifth Avenue at 58th Street
Artist
Date1937
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Berenice Abbott, Manhattan Bridge, 1936, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of George McNeil, 1983.16.6
Manhattan Bridge
Artist
Date1936
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Berenice Abbott, MacDougal Alley, between 8th Street and Washington Sq. North, 1936, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.7
MacDougal Alley, between 8th Street and Washington Sq. North
Artist
Date1936
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Berenice Abbott, Greyhound Bus Terminal--Manhattan, 1936, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.15
Greyhound Bus Terminal – Manhattan
Artist
Date1936
gelatin silver print
Not on view

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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)
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