Oil on canvas (lined), signed and dated 1872 at lower right, presented in a later frame.

Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Private Collection, Florida

Published:
Kinietz, W. Vernon. John Mix Stanley and His Indian Paintings. Detroit, University of Michigan Press, 1942.

John Mix Stanley (1814-1872) was a celebrated American artist best known for his paintings of American Indians in the West. An artist and an explorer, the Smithsonian Institution mounted a large exhibition of over 150 of Stanley's works in 1852. A short two years later, a traveling exhibition of 42 scene panorama of western scenes traveled to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD, New York, NY, and London, England. In addition to his own artistic pursuits, Stanley was instrumental in the founding of the Detroit Institute of Arts and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Lewis Ives was a noted portrait artist, living in Detroit from 1852 until 1894. He originally trained as an attorney, but left the field of law to devote himself to painting by 1860.

This portrait was completed shortly before Stanley's death on April 10, 1872 and was included as the frontispiece for John Mix Stanley and His Indian Paintings, published in 1942. It is a recent re-discovery, as it is noted as "whereabouts unknown" in the 2015 book, Painted Journeys: The Art of John Mix Stanley, by Peter Hassrick and Mindy Besaw. The authors note that a review of the portrait "appeared in a Detroit newspaper after Stanley's death and was praised for its fidelity, and for those who knew Stanley personally, it was said to have elicited 'deep emotional reminiscences.'"

Stable craquelure and crazing; some abrading to edges from frame.

$800 - 1,200