Who painted The Funding Bill?

The Funding Bill was painted by Eastman Johnson in 1881.

Where can I see The Funding Bill?

The Funding Bill is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is The Funding Bill?

The Funding Bill is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

The Funding Bill

Eastman Johnson , 1881

The Funding Bill is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Eastman Johnson. It dates from 1881 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Technique & Style

The application of oil paint on a woven canvas support aligns with standard nineteenth-century American artistic practices for large-scale narrative works.

Executed in 1881, The Funding Bill is an oil painting on canvas by Eastman Johnson. The work measures 153.7 cm in height and 198.8 cm in width. Stylistically, the piece is classified as a genre scene that functions as a portrait, focusing its composition on a single male figure.

The application of oil paint on a woven canvas support aligns with standard nineteenth-century American artistic practices for large-scale narrative works.

History & Provenance

Eastman Johnson's 1881 painting The Funding Bill is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is classified within the museum's American Wing and is executed in oil on canvas. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the painting is documented as part of the institution's permanent holdings. There is no information regarding a specific exhibition history for this work in the provided sources.

Overview

Created in 1881, The Funding Bill is an oil on canvas by American artist Jonathan Eastman Johnson. The work belongs to the museum’s American Wing and presents a domestic‑style interior where several formally dressed men are gathered around a table, engaged in discussion of a legislative document.

Subject & Meaning

The composition captures a moment of political deliberation, focusing on a group of legislators examining a proposed funding bill. By portraying the participants in a genre‑scene manner, Johnson emphasizes the routine, human aspects of governmental work, offering a glimpse into the everyday procedures of late‑19th‑century American politics.

Context

During the 1880s, the United States was expanding its federal budget and infrastructure, making discussions of funding bills a common political concern. Johnson’s choice to depict such a scene aligns with his broader interest in genre painting, which sought to document ordinary moments within both private and public spheres.

Artist & collection

Artist

Eastman Johnson

Jonathan Eastman Johnson (July 29, 1824 – April 5, 1906) was an American painter and co-founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, with his name inscribed at its entrance.

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art

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