Two Colonial Soldiers, 1883
Courtesy of the owner
Vital Statistics
Oil and pencil on canvas, mounted on board, 16 x 20 inches ; on original stretchers, 14¾ x 19½ inchesUnsigned
Inscribed on reverse, in pencil: “Painted around 1898 [sic] by William B. T. Trego/study for large mural of Washington . . . [illegible] reviewing his troops/BBaum/Studied with Bougereau [sic] and at Beaux Art [sic] Paris.” Inscribed on reverse, in ink: “W. T. Trego”/unfinished sketch/W. E. Baum’s first teacher of art/from collection of Bert and Julia, ’63/100.00.”
Private Collection
Commentary
This study is especially interesting as it retains some of the original pencil sketch for one figure and it is possible to see adjustments made by the artist as he painted. The larger figure is a study for the young soldier saluting Washington in The March to Valley Forge. It is possible that the face on this saluting soldier is that of the artist himself, though it is only a very simple sketch.Provenance
The sketch was obtained from the estate of the artist by his pupil and protégé, Walter E. Baum. It passed to Baum’s son, Robert “Bert” Baum, who sold it to the mother of the current owner in 1963.Exhibitions
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, James A. Michener Art Museum, June 3-Oct 2, 2011: "So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego."Condition
Bert Baum removed the sketch from its original stretchers and mounted it on artists board. The lines where the canvas wrapped around the stretchers are still visible. The sketch is in good condition, though it might benefit from a cleaning.< Soldier Adjusting his Footwear, 1883 The March to Valley Forge, December 16, 1777, 1883 >