Artwork
Little Girl in White (Queenie Burnett)
Little Girl in White (Queenie Burnett) is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist George Bellows. It dates from 1907 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:upper center reverse: Geo Bellows / 1947 Bdway / [illegible]49 N.Y. / "QUEEN" / "GIRL IN WHITE"
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work thus serves as both a personal homage and a broader commentary on the tenderness of youth.
The painting Little Girl in White (Queenie Burnett) depicts a young child in a simple white dress, rendered with soft focus and naturalistic detail that emphasizes innocence and vulnerability. The subject, believed to be a portrait of Bellows' niece Queenie Burnett, is framed within a modest interior setting that underscores domestic tranquility and the fleeting nature of childhood. Symbolically, the white garment functions as a visual metaphor for purity and unspoiled potential, while the quiet domestic environment suggests themes of familial affection and the intimate bonds of early life.
The work thus serves as both a personal homage and a broader commentary on the tenderness of youth.
The painting is housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Technique & Style
Little Girl in White (Queenie Burnett) is an oil painting executed on canvas by George Bellows in 1907. The work is classified as a painting within the National Gallery of Art collection. Its tall, narrow format is documented at 158 cm in height by 87 cm in width, producing a vertical composition suited to a standing figure. The medium is identified consistently as oil paint applied to canvas support.
History & Provenance
George Bellows painted Little Girl in White (Queenie Burnett) in 1907. Following the artist's death in 1925, the work passed by inheritance to his widow, Emma S. Bellows, and remained in her estate until May 1963, when it was purchased through the New York dealer H.V. Allison & Co. by collector Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. Mellon later gave the painting to the National Gallery of Art in 1983.
Little Girl in White (Queenie Burnett), an oil on canvas painting by George Bellows completed in 1907, is housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the collection through the estate of Emma S. Bellows, George Bellows' wife, and was acquired by Paul Mellon in May 1963 via H.V. Allison & Co., New York. It was subsequently gifted to the National Gallery in 1983. The painting measures 158 by 87 cm and is part of the museum's permanent collection, reflecting its significance within Bellows' oeuvre and early 20th-century American art.
The work has been exhibited as part of the National Gallery of Art's permanent holdings, though specific exhibition records are not detailed in the provided sources.
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. serves as the current institutional holder of the artwork under its accession and provenance documented in archival records.
Overview
George Bellows’ oil on canvas, Little Girl in White (Queenie Burnett), was painted in 1907. The work presents a solitary young girl positioned against a deep, almost black interior, her white dress sharply contrasted with the surrounding gloom.
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.
