Artist:
N.C. Wyeth
(American, 1882 - 1945)
The Spring House
Alternate Title(s):Spring House; The Springhouse
Medium: Tempera on hardboard
Date: 1944
Dimensions:
36 × 48 in. (91.4 × 121.9 cm)
Delaware Art Museum, Special Purchase Fund, 1946
Accession number: SUPP2000.127
Research Number: NCW: 127
InscribedN. C. WYETH (underlined) / 1944
ProvenanceThe artist; Mrs. N. C. Wyeth, to March 1946
Exhibition HistoryWashington, DC, 1945, no. 201, as "The Spring House" (awarded First Popular Painting Prize); Wilmington, DE, 1945, no. 17, as "Spring House"; Wilmington, DE, 1946, no. 11; New York, NY, 1946, no. 3; Wilmington, DE, Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts, "Paintings by Members of the Wyeth Family," Jan. 8-29, 1951, no. 36, illus. in exhibition folder; Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College, "Three Generations of Wyeths," March 15-28, 1964; Harrisburg, PA, 1965, no. 2; Rockland, ME, 1966, no. 76, as "Springhouse (On N. C. Wyeth Property at Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania)"; Chadds Ford, PA, 1972, no. 130; Chadds Ford, PA, 1982, p. 35, no. 38 p. 54, illus. b/w p. 34
References
Leila Mechlin, "The Art World," (Washington, DC) Sunday Star, April 15, 1945, p. C-6; (Washington,DC) Evening Star, April 24, 1945, illus. b/w; "Popular Choice," (Washington, DC) Evening Star, May 3, 1945, p. A-10; "N. C. Wyeth," Life Magazine, vol. 20, no. 24 (June 17, 1946), illus. in color p. 79; Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts, Bulletin no. 69 (Feb. 1947), p. , illus. in b/w; Betsy James Wyeth, ed., The Wyeths, The Letters of N. C. Wyeth, 1901-1945 (Boston: Gambit, 1971), p. 836 and illus. in color f. p. 800; Douglas Allen and Douglas Allen, Jr., N. C. Wyeth, The Collected Paintings, Illustrations and Murals (New York: Crown Publishers, 1972), illus. in color p. 188, see also p. 191; Wanda M. Corn, The Art of Andrew Wyeth (Greenwich, CT: New York Graphic Society, 1973), illus. in color p. 133; Elizabeth H. Hawkes, American Painting and Sculpture, Delaware Art Museum (Wilmington, DE: Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts, 1975), p. 132; Susan E. Meyer, "N. C. Wyeth," American Artist, vol. 39, no. 391 (Feb. 1975), b/w illus. p. 43; Carol Billman, "N. C. Wyeth," American History Illustrated, vol. XX, no. 10 (Feb. 1986), illus. in color p. 34; Kate F. Jennings. N. C. Wyeth (New York, NY: Brompton Books Corp., Crescent Books, 1992), illus. in color p. 88; Christine B. Podmaniczky, N. C. Wyeth, Catalogue Raisonne of Paintings (London: Scala, 2008), L.223, p. 777, 778; Christine B. Podmaniczky, "N. C. Wyeth, American Regionalist" in Rural Modern, American Art Beyond the City (NY: Rizzoli, 2016), illus. in color, p. 171;
Curatorial RemarksIn a letter dated Feb. 9, 1944 to Andrew Wyeth, the artist indicated that the drawing for the composition (NCW 2050, Brandywine River Museum, 96.1.2052) was already complete: "I have, of course, not started the Spring House motif as there has been no time, but everything is ready to move when the moment comes." Later in June he wrote to Henriette in reference to the painting, "The Spring House is probably my best effort to date. At any rate, Andy feels so beyond question" (NCW to Andrew Wyeth, Feb. 9, 1944, and NCW to Henriette Wyeth Hurd, June 8, 1944, Wyeth Family Archives). On two different occasions Andrew Wyeth confirmed that this work was done in tempera (Brandywine River Museum, catalogue raisonne files).
Image Source for printed Catalogue Raisonne:Digital photography directly from painting