Artwork
Little Girl in Lavender
Little Girl in Lavender is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist John Bradley. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
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- Inscribed:lower right: by J. Bradley 128 Spring St.
About this work
Technique & Style
4 cm in width, a moderate portrait-scale format suited to its single-figure composition.
Little Girl in Lavender is an oil-on-canvas painting executed by John Bradley in 1840. The work measures 85.7 cm in height by 69.4 cm in width, a moderate portrait-scale format suited to its single-figure composition. Oil paint on canvas is the sole medium and support combination documented for the piece, with no additional materials, ground preparations, or mixed-media elements noted in the records.
No formal stylistic descriptors, handling notes, or condition reports are available in the cited sources, so the painting's brushwork, palette, surface state, and stylistic classification remain undocumented here.
History & Provenance
Little Girl in Lavender was painted by John Bradley in 1840. The painting's recorded provenance begins in New York City. It was later owned by Helena Penrose of Southbury, Connecticut, who sold it in 1951 to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who subsequently gifted the work to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1958, where it remains in the collection.
The sources do not provide a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they document any exhibition history for the work.
Overview
Little Girl in Lavender is an oil on canvas painting by John Bradley, likely created around 1840. This work portrays a young girl dressed in a distinctive lavender gown, positioned against an uncluttered background. The composition emphasizes the figure, whose attire and surrounding floral elements are rendered with notable precision.
As one of the limited number of known paintings by Bradley, it offers valuable insight into his artistic approach.
Subject & Meaning
The painting centers on a young girl, whose lavender dress is a prominent feature. Her solitary stance within a restrained setting directs the viewer's attention entirely to her figure. The inclusion of flowers further enhances the scene, suggesting a connection to nature or perhaps symbolizing innocence. The simplicity of the background ensures the child remains the primary focus of the composition.
Context
Little Girl in Lavender holds particular significance as one of the few documented works attributed to John Bradley. While comprehensive biographical information about the artist remains scarce, this painting serves as a key example for understanding his artistic tendencies and preferred subjects. Its existence provides a rare opportunity to examine the output of a lesser-known painter from the mid-19th century, contributing to the broader study of art from that period.
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