Saturday Night in August -- Eighth Avenue
William Anderson Coffin
American Art
On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Counterparts
In this nighttime street scene, William Coffin depicted throngs of pleasure seekers strolling past shop fronts along a stretch of Eighth Avenue in New York. Known for attracting diverse classes and ethnic groups, this area was decidedly less fashionable than the nearby Broadway theater district. The two most striking features of the painting—its monochromatic palette of gray tones and its reportorial realism (note such gritty details as litter in the street)—suggest that it was intended for reproduction as a black-and-white illustration in a newspaper or magazine.
MEDIUM
Oil on canvas
DATES
ca. 1900
DIMENSIONS
16 1/8 × 26 in. (41 × 66 cm)
frame: 22 1/8 × 31 7/8 × 3 1/4 in. (56.2 × 81 × 8.3 cm)
(show scale)
SIGNATURE
Signed lower right: "Wm A Coffin"
INSCRIPTIONS
Inscribed verso: "Saturday Night in August--Eighth Avenue Wm A Coffin"
ACCESSION NUMBER
74.207
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Feld
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1974, provenance not yet documented; by 1974, acquired by Stuart Feld and Sue Kessler Feld (Mrs. Stuart Feld) of New York, NY; December 31, 1974, gift of Stuart Feld and Sue Kessler Feld to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CAPTION
William Anderson Coffin (American, 1855–1925). Saturday Night in August -- Eighth Avenue, ca. 1900. Oil on canvas, 16 1/8 × 26 in. (41 × 66 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Feld, 74.207 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 74.207_PS20.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 74.207_PS20.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2024
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