Landscape
THOMAS BIRCH (1779–1851)
Coastal Scene, c. 1850
Sepia wash drawing, 8 15/16 x 8 13/16 in.
Signed and inscribed (at lower left): T Birch; (on the cover of the album from which this drawing was removed): E. H. M.
EX COLL: from an Album amicorum that was presented by E. H. M to Julia Colt Pierson (Mrs. William Jenkins) Emmet (1829–1908), December 18, 1856; to Mrs. Emmet’s daughter, Lydia Field Emmet (1866–1952); to her niece, Hester Emmet (Mrs. Louis Bancel) LaFarge (1902–1965); to her son, Benjamin LaFarge (b. 1932), until 1968; to private collection, 1968 until the present
Although this drawing is unusual in the oeuvre of Thomas Birch, it relates in spirit and style to the work of the artist’s Philadelphia contemporary, Thomas Doughty, who often depicted a solitary figure—oftentimes a fisherman seen from the back—in a pastoral landscape. Here, the Romantic figure seems captivated by the ships on the horizon, not surprising given Birch’s strong interest in maritime subjects.
From an Album amicorum that was presented by E. H. M. to Julia Colt Pierson (Mrs. William Jenkins) Emmet, December 18, 1856. The Album amicorum from which this drawing was removed also contained drawings by Charles Deas (1845), Asher B. Durand (1850), and John Kensett, all of which are now in one private collection.