Technique

Nocturne, The White House, Washington DC

It is painted on a fairly coarse canvas.

In its smooth finish the painting is comparable to several other works, particularly Nocturne in Blue and Silver [YMSM 151] and Nocturne: Grey and Silver [YMSM 156]. However, it has a more mechanical and less painterly finish than those paintings.

Conservation History

Nocturne, photograph, 1913/1914

Nocturne, photograph, 1972

Nocturne, The White House, Washington DC

In 1914, Knoedler's sent the portrait to C. L. Freer on approval, but it 'seemed so much less luminous than it did in 1905, I decided not to buy it.' 1

Old photographs of this painting suggest it may have been lighter in colour originally, and although this may have been partly the effect of the lighting or photographic process, it is possible that it has darkened and also that conservation has altered its original appearance.

Frame

Nocturne, frame, 1972

Grau-style frame, dating from after 1903.