John Gellatly

Irving R. Wiles, John Gellatly, 1930-1932, oil on canvas, 79 x 38 ³⁄₈ in. (200.8 x 97.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1932.6.1

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Artwork Details

Title: John Gellatly
Artist: Irving R. Wiles
Date: 1930-1932
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 79 x 38 ³⁄₈ in. (200.8 x 97.6 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the artist
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Architecture Interior — domestic
Portrait male — Gellatly, John
Occupation — other — connoisseur
Object Number: 1932.6.1
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1932.6.1

Artwork Description

Art collecting is a hobby for some, but for John Gellatly it was a passion. His buying began in collaboration with his first wife, Edith Rogers (1858--1913), whose family manufactured railroad locomotives. The couple supported many contemporary American artists, including Abbott Handerson Thayer, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, John Henry Twachtman, and Albert Pinkham Ryder--all painters influenced by French impressionism. The Gellatlys also collected decorative arts, especially glass. After Edith's death, John's collecting pace increased, perhaps exceeding his means. By the time he donated his art collection to what later became the Smithsonian American Art Museum, few funds remained in the estate to settle his debts.

Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano, 2021.