Lot 45: Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau , American 1837-1922 In the Garden oil on canvas

signed Elizabeth Gardner and inscribed Paris (center left) oil on canvas

measurements 22 1/2 by 16 1/4 in. alternate measurements 57.2 by 41.3 cm

Joel Stehpen Coffin, Englewood, New Jersey (circa 1900)
Charles William Floyd Coffin (by descent from the above, his father)
Private Collection, New York (circa 1910)
Thence by descent to the present owner (his daughter)

We are grateful to Charles Pearo for his assistance in catalouging this work. Mr. Pearo is currently preparing the forthcoming Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau catalogue raisonné.
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EAST COAST COLLECTION
Elizabeth Gardner was not only the first American woman painter to exhibit at the Paris Salon (in 1866), but the first to be awarded a Salon Medal. Her studio on the rue Nôtre Dame les Champs accordingly became the mecca of American travelers and art lovers. She faithfully adopted the forms and artistic vision of William Bouguereau, first her teacher and later her husband, painting mainly young girls in simple surroundings or in an idealized Arcadian world such as that found in the present work, likely completed circa 1878, long before her marriage in 1896. Here, a domed building is the only suggestion of modern civilization in which a girl appears as timeless and idealized as her environment. Sitting quietly on a bench, her feet crossed at the ankles, the girl's modeling and pose are replicated in other works by Gardner and Bouguereau's masterworks. The simple dress of bright white cloth, its deep red sleeves matching the ribbon adorning her hair, stands in contrast to the verdant greens of the thorny rose bushes behind her; meanwhile, her garment's soft, vertical folds provide textural contrast with the horizontal plane of the mottled stone bench on which she sits. In its careful construction and design, Gardner's work is clearly based on academic principles taught by Bouguereau, who stressed accurate drawing and compositions built with distinct contrasts in color that defined shape and picture space.

Indeed, at a glance, In the Garden may at first be mistaken for a work by Gardner's husband. Contemporary critics often remarked that her style closely followed Bouguereau's, and she herself said in an interview in 1910 "I know I am censured for not more boldly asserting my individuality, but I would rather be known as the best imitator of Bouguereau than be nobody!" (as quoted in Fronia E. Wissman, Bouguereau, San Francisco, 1999, p. 116). Yet this is a somewhat immodest comment, particularly as works such as In the Garden reveal, upon closer examination, a distinctly personal approach and the significant influences of other mentors, notably Jules-Joseph Lefebvre and Hughes Merle (see lot 42). In her downward cast eyes, shyly avoiding the viewer's gaze, and the clumsy clutch of the delicate flowers to her chest, Gardner's girl reveals a more specific psychology and individuality more reminiscent of Merle's work, which revealed his sitters' inner thoughts through their physiognomy and posture (Wissman, p. 116-117). Unlike many of Gardner's Salon submissions, the present work has long been untraced, its small size suggesting that it was not a major exhibition piece and therefore unlikely to be recorded. In a letter dated November 21, 1878, Gardner wrote "I am finishing some small pictures two of which are ordered by Noyes and Blakeslee of Boston." These pieces were for an exhibition that took place at the same dealers' galleries in Boston, from April 23 to April 26, 1879. Gardner sent a total of four paintings, one of the smaller of which was called In the Garden and may, as Charles Pearo suggests, be the present work. While its exact date may remain unknown, sending works to American dealers was a common procedure for Gardner and clearly modeled after Bougureau's business practices. By the time Gardner began her apprenticeship with Merle and Bouguereau in the mid 1860s, the established artists' focus on genre painting had resulted in American collectors clamoring for their compositions. Observing the popularity of her teachers' works, Gardner developed a first-hand appreciation of the market demand; she knew that there was more than enough business to be shared, particularly for those looking for works by Bouguereau. Therefore, to secure her own living, from the 1870s on, she began to work after Bouguereau models (Charles Pearo, "Elizabeth Jane Gardner: The Best Imitator of Bouguereau," in In the Studios of Paris, William Bouguereau & His American Students, exh. cat., New Haven, 2006, p. 70). Gardner's maiden-name signature here, followed by the inscription Paris appears to have been reserved for works that were sent to the United States for exhibition or bought by American dealers visiting Paris (among them Knoedler, Williams and Everett, Noyes, and Blakesele). Two other works by the artist bear similar signatures and inscription: Girl at a Fountain (circa 1878) and Priscilla the Puritan (1880). The first was purchased by Knoedler, New York and Priscilla was exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1881 (no. 310).