James M. Dennis (American, 1840-1918), Atmospheric Sailing Scene

Pastel on silk on board, signed at lower left, retaining an H. O. McNierney-Pajot, Inc. of Detroit, Michigan label on the verso, presented under glass in a period frame.

Board 8 x 10 in.; Frame dimensions 15 1/2 x 17 1/4 in.

James M. Dennis was an American painter, born in 1840 in Dublin, Indiana. At age 18, he traveled to Cincinnati to begin his formal art training, during which time he studied under portraitist Joseph O. Eaton and befriended Alexander Wyant, a leading Tonalist landscape artist. In 1865, Dennis established his own studio in Indianapolis, producing both portraits and landscapes. He spent a brief period in New York City around 1873, reconnecting with Eaton and Wyant before returning to work in the Midwest.

By 1883, Dennis had relocated to Detroit, Michigan. Around the turn of the century, he increasingly favored pastels and became known for his skilled application of this medium in both portraits and landscapes. Notably, he painted a pastel portrait of Indiana Governor James A. Mount for the State House collection, contributed murals to Detroit’s Hotel Cadillac and exhibited his works at venues such as the Michigan State Fair and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Some lifting of pastel medium from surface.