Coast of Cornwall, near St. Ives
circa 1915
36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 121.9 cm)
Paul Dougherty
United States
(Brooklyn, NY, 1877 - 1947, Palm Springs, CA)
Object Type:
Painting
Medium and Support:
Oil on canvas
Credit Line:
Gift of George Eastman
Accession Number:
1915.1
Location: Not currently on view
Collection:
George Eastman Collection
In 1915, Memorial Art Gallery mounted an exhibition of seascapes by a leading American marine painter of the time, Paul Dougherty. After the show was already open to the public, the artist sent an additional canvas, Coast of Cornwall, Near St. Ives, which he considered his best work to date. George Eastman had expressed interest in purchasing a Dougherty for the MAG collection. This painting was a top contender but several members of the Art Committee requested director George Herdle to ask the artist to rework the foreground. Reluctantly, Herdle complied and the mystified Dougherty politely asked him exactly what he would like done. In the meantime, Herdle sought the opinion of painter Elmer Schofield, who “thought the criticism not well made.” The director quickly assured Dougherty that all was well, overrode the Committee’s objections, and acquired this painting with funds donated by Eastman.
[Label text from It Came From the Vault exhibition, 2013]