The three were wading recklessly through the muskeg that oozed to the tops of their elk-hide boots.

Artist:

N.C. Wyeth

(American, 1882 - 1945)

The three were wading recklessly through the muskeg that oozed to the tops of their elk-hide boots.

Alternate Title(s):probably "Sloppy Weather and High Spirits"
Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1911
Dimensions:
dimensions unavailable
location unknown
Accession number: SUPP2000.1993
Research Number: NCW: 1993
InscribedLower left: N. C. WYETH (from reproduction)
ProvenanceCharles Scribner's Sons, New York, NY; gift to Dr. John Lovejoy Elliott, New York, NY
Exhibition HistoryProbably Philadelphia, PA, 1912(1), no.32, as "Sloppy Weather and High Spirits"; Haverhill, MA, 1913, as "Sloppy Weather and High Spirits"
References Douglas Allen and Douglas Allen, Jr., N. C. Wyeth, The Collected Paintings, Illustrations and Murals (New York: Crown Publishers, 1972), p. 275; Christine B. Podmaniczky, N. C. Wyeth, A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (London: Scala, 2008), I.370, p. 239
Curatorial RemarksInformation about this painting comes from a file card in the Scribner's Archive, Brandywine River Museum. The card gives the Scribner's number 28993, lists it as an "oil" painting, and gives the name and date of the gift to Hudson Guild. The painting's identification with "Sloppy Weather and High Spirits" (Philadelphia, PA, 1912(1)) is made on the basis of its date and subject matter; a note in the (Philadelphia) Ledger of Nov. 5, 1912, remarks on "the glee with which in 'Sloppy Weather and High Spirits' campers splash through the water with their arms full of boxes and baskets of food."
Author Mary Synon was particularly pleased with the illustrations for this story, citing Wyeth's "sympathetic understanding of the North Country people" (Mary Synon to NCW, Jan. 24, 1912, Wyeth Family Archives). Dr. John Lovejoy Elliott was founder of Hudson Guild, a New York City community organization.
Image Source for printed Catalogue Raisonne:Digital scan from printed source (tear sheet, Brandywine River Museum library)
Photo Credit:Web: BRM staff; Publication: Rick Echelmeyer, digital photography from printed source (mounted tear sheet, Brandywine River Museum library), 7/11/2006