American Impressionist Painting Childe Hassam Signed Correspondence Concerning the Canvas The Laurel on the Ledge 1910

Frederick Childe Hassam

Manuscripts & Autographs

Hassam, Childe. Autograph letter signed discussing the exhibition and valuation of the painting The Laurel. Dated March 14, 1910, the letter documents Childe Hassam’s management of one of his important canvases during a period when American Impressionism was gaining national recognition through exhibitions and international expositions. Hassam, a leading figure in the American Impressionist movement and a painter known for luminous landscapes and urban scenes, writes about maintaining records of works circulating in exhibitions and stresses the importance of recovering the painting known as The Laurel or The Laurel on the Ledge. In the letter he states, “You can understand that I have to keep a record of my things that are out,” before noting the value of the work and emphasizing its significance within his body of paintings.

Hassam, Childe. Autograph letter signed. New York, March 14, 1910. One page written on Hassam’s personal stationery and signed “Childe Hassam.” The text concerns the circulation and pricing of the painting The Laurel, which Hassam describes as “an important canvas.” He writes that “The price of the ‘Laurel’ is 3,000 and when I get it back here it will be 3,500,” and instructs that the painting may be shown in connection with the St. Louis exposition before being returned to him. Hassam adds that the painting has “been lost in the West long enough,” emphasizing his intention to regain control of the work after its exhibition.

Childe Hassam emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as one of the principal American painters associated with Impressionism, producing landscapes, coastal scenes, and city views that translated European Impressionist techniques into an American context. His career began in Boston as an illustrator and watercolorist before he studied painting more formally and later worked in New York, where he became an influential participant in the American art market and exhibition circuit. Letters concerning the movement and valuation of specific paintings provide insight into how American artists of the period managed exhibitions, pricing, and the circulation of works through regional and national art venues. Light wear consistent with age and handling. Overall condition very good.

Item #13510

Price: $800.00