Artwork
Man with a Tune Book: Possibly Mr. Cook
Man with a Tune Book: Possibly Mr. Cook is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Erastus Salisbury Field. It dates from 1838 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. This oil on canvas painting, titled Man with a Tune Book: Possibly Mr.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:on tune book, left: OLD HUNDRED. L. M.; on tune book, right: EASTPORT. C. M.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays a gentleman holding a small book of music, an attribute that has been interpreted as a tune book, possibly identifying the sitter as Mr.
The painting portrays a gentleman holding a small book of music, an attribute that has been interpreted as a tune book, possibly identifying the sitter as Mr. Cook. As a 19th‑century American portrait, the work functions to record the sitter’s appearance and social standing, a purpose typical of the portrait genre. Executed in oil on canvas in 1838, the portrait measures 89.1 cm by 73.8 cm and is part of the National Gallery of Art’s collection in Washington, D.C., having entered the museum through a 1978 gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1838, this portrait is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 89.1 cm in height and 73.8 cm in width. Classified as a portrait, the piece utilizes traditional materials of oil paint applied to a woven fabric support.
The available records confirm the medium and dimensions but do not provide specific details regarding the artist's handling of the paint, the current physical condition of the surface, or distinct formal stylistic qualities beyond its genre classification.
History & Provenance
The painting, titled Man with a Tune Book: Possibly Mr. Cook, was created in 1838 by the American folk artist Erastus Salisbury Field in oil on canvas. Its ownership history begins in Massachusetts, passing through Thomas McCondack of West Lebanon, New Hampshire; Winifred Harding of Woodstock, Vermont; Reginald French of Amherst, Massachusetts; and Thurston Thacher of Hyde Park, New York, who sold the work in 1952 to collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The Garbisches donated the portrait to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1978, where it remains.
Man with a Tune Book: Possibly Mr. Cook is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the museum’s collection as a gift in 1978 from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. Its provenance traces a chain from Massachusetts origins through owners including Winifred Harding, Reginald French, and Thurston Thacher before the 1952 sale to the Garbisches. No exhibition records are cited in the referenced sources.
The painting measures 89.1 cm by 73.8 cm and is catalogued as an oil on canvas portrait from 1838 by Erastus Salisbury Field.
Overview
This oil on canvas painting, titled Man with a Tune Book: Possibly Mr. Cook, was created by Erastus Salisbury Field around 1838. It presents a formal portrait of a young man, whose identity is suggested but not definitively confirmed. The work exemplifies Field's approach to capturing individual likenesses during the mid-19th century.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
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