Object number2015.22.1
Springside: View of Gardener's Cottage and Barns
Date1852
Artist
Henry Gritten
(British, 1818-1873)
CultureBritish
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions25 1/2 x 37 in. (64.77 x 93.98 cm)
Credit LineGift of Thomas M. Evans, Jr., in honor of Tania Goss Evans, class of 1959
On View
On viewPeriod19th c
Classification(s)
SignedSigned lower right: H. Gritten
InscribedBy artist, lower right: 1852
BibliographyAltabef, Gretchen, Sherlock Homes: These Scattered Houses as discovered by Gretchen Altabef. London: MX Publishing, 2019, front and back cover;
Johnson, Kate. "The Workers- Gardeners and Nurserymen: Montgomery Place." Historic Hudson Valley, n.p., August 1, 2011 ProvenanceMatthew Vassar (1792-1868); Karl Keiling (1865-1939) and Helma Zoellner Keiling (1864-1926); Ella Zoellner (1885-1972), sister; by descent; Christie's, New York, American Furniture and Decorative Arts, January 23, 2009, lot 255. Thomas M. Evans, Jr. Label TextDistinct from Henry Gritten’s broader views of Springside, this painting shows a close view, almost from the perspective of moving along the carriage trails. In this scene, what seems to be visitors enjoying the landscape appears, at closer inspection, to be workers, reminding us of the labor required to maintain Springside. Gritten depicts a cook strolling toward the Gardener’s cottage and two farmers, one herding cattle from the barns and another holding a rake with a child. With sheep nibbling softly on the grass, this view portrays Springside as lively yet still peaceful. Matthew Vassar hired American landscape designer Andrew Jackson Downing to curate the terrain into a place of pleasure and enjoyment. Vassar was benevolent with Springside, opening his grounds to the public nearly every day and entertaining students and faculty of Vassar College there. Springside was beloved by Poughkeepsie residents, inspiring music and poetry featured in the Eagle daily newspaper. In his 1867 biography of Vassar, Benson J. Lossing describes the multisensory pleasures of Springside, declaring “visitors agree that those acres, beautiful and cultivated, are not surpassed by any spot in our country….”
- Pippa Kennedy ’26
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge.
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Henry Gritten
1852
Culture: British, American
