Artwork
Forty-two Kids
Forty-two Kids is an oil painting by the Realist artist George Bellows. It dates from 1907 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: Geo Bellows
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject thus serves as a visual record of urban life, highlighting both the vitality and the transience of childhood in the early 1900s.
The painting depicts a group of children playing in an urban setting, capturing everyday life in early twentieth-century America. Their informal poses and interactions reflect a candid observation of youthful energy and the social environment of the time. By focusing on ordinary youngsters rather than idealized figures, the work underscores themes of realism and the unvarnished experience of childhood in the city.
The composition emphasizes the spontaneity of the children’s movements and the informal gathering space they occupy, suggesting a commentary on community and the fleeting nature of youthful moments.
The subject thus serves as a visual record of urban life, highlighting both the vitality and the transience of childhood in the early 1900s.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, Forty-two Kids measures 106.7 × 153 cm. The handling is bold and direct, with thick, expressive brushwork that captures the energy of the scene. The composition is tightly framed, compressing the group of boys into a shallow pictorial space that heightens their immediacy. Stylistically, the work emphasizes raw realism and dynamic movement, aligning with Bellows’s urban genre scenes of the period.
History & Provenance
George Bellows completed Forty-two Kids in 1907 and retained the work in his New York collection until 1909. That year, he sold the painting for $300 to Robert C. Hall of Pittsburgh during its exhibition at the Carnegie International. Following Hall's death in 1914, the artwork was eventually consigned to the Wunderly Brothers dealership in Pittsburgh, where it was recorded by February 1923 after being retrieved from storage at the Carnegie Institute.
By October 1925, Peter Glick and his wife had acquired the piece. They retained ownership until November 1931, when they sold it through the William Macbeth gallery in New York to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The Corcoran held the painting until its acquisition by the National Gallery of Art in 2014.
The work is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., following its acquisition in 2014. Its earlier ownership includes purchase by Robert C. Hall in 1909, consignment to Wunderly Brothers in 1923, and sale to Peter Glick in 1925. The painting entered the Corcoran Gallery of Art in November 1931 before joining the National Gallery of Art’s collection.
Exhibition history includes display at the Carnegie International in 1909, where Hall acquired it, and later appearances in exhibitions referenced in curatorial records and loan documentation.
Overview
George Bellows’ 1907 oil on canvas titled Forty-two Kids presents a gathering of children on a dock. The composition concentrates on the youthful figures, arranged in various poses, standing, seated, and reclined, against a predominantly dark backdrop that frames the group.
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Artist & collection
Artist
George Wesley Bellows (August 12 or August 19, 1882 – January 8, 1925) was an American realist painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City.
