John La Farge, Study of Pink Hollyhocks in Sunlight, from Nature, c. 1879

John La Farge (American, 1835 - 1910)
Study of Pink Hollyhocks in Sunlight, from Nature, c. 1879
Watercolor and gouache on paper, 11 15/16 x 9 11/16 inches (30.32 x 24.61 cm)
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Gift of James Maroney, F86-22

When we were bickering over the price of the major Peto still-life, Jay Maroney agreed to throw in this lovely La Farge watercolor to sweeten the deal. Its original owner was William Sturgis Bigelow, the Boston Buddhist, who in 1886 served as La Farge’s tour guide of Japan. I wrote my doctoral dissertation on La Farge and Maroney knew how to play on one of my weaknesses.

Bibliography
Henry Adams, American Drawings and Watercolors from the Kansas City Region, [exhibition catalog], July 19-September 6, 1992, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, pp. 172-74.