The Two Musicians

Details

JOHN GEORGE BROWN (1831-1913)
The Two Musicians
signed and dated 'J.G. Brown./1874.' (lower right)
oil on canvas
18 x 14 in. (45.7 x 35.6 cm.)
Painted in 1874.

Provenance

Chapellier Galleries, New York.
Sotheby's, New York, 23 September 1993, lot 7.
Acquired by the present owner from the above.

Literature

M. Hoppin, “The ‘Little White Slaves’ of New York: Paintings of Child Street Musicians by J.G. Brown,” The American Art Journal, vol. XXVI, nos. 1 and 2, 1996, p. 8, illustrated.
M. Hoppin, The World of J.G. Brown, Chesterfield, Massachusetts, 2010, pp. 135-36, illustrated.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Tylee Abbott Vice President, Head of American Art

tabbott@christies.com +1 212 707 5925

Lot Essay

We would like to thank Martha Hoppin for her assistance with cataloguing this lot.

In the early 1870s, J.G. Brown began painting poor Italian children as a result of spreading news of their plight on the streets of New York City. According to Hoppin, "The catalyst may have been a specific news topic, the plight of poor Italian children forced to play harp and violin on the streets to earn pennies." She continues, "In 1873 and 1874, during the height of public concern for the children, Brown made them the focus of at least six paintings, among them The Little Strollers, Boy with Harp, The Two Musicians, and Girl with Violin." (The World of J.G. Brown, Chesterfield, Massachusetts, 2010, p. 135)

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