Artwork
Retriever

Retriever is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist O. G.. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: O.G.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work conveys themes of fidelity and domestic harmony, reflecting 19th‑century American values of family and domesticity.
The painting depicts a retriever dog, a breed traditionally associated with loyalty and companionship. The work conveys themes of fidelity and domestic harmony, reflecting 19th‑century American values of family and domesticity. It was painted in the second half of the 19th century and is executed in oil on canvas.
The painting entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having been purchased in 1950 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch and gifted to the museum in 1953.
Technique & Style
Retriever is an oil painting executed on canvas, a traditional support suited to the medium's handling of layered pigment and tonal blending. The work measures 56 by 80.8 centimeters, a horizontal format consistent with an animal portrait of a dog shown in profile or three-quarter view.
The painting is classified within the National Gallery of Art collection as a painting, and its materials are specified as oil paint applied to canvas. No further information on condition, stylistic handling, or specific technique is documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The painting Retriever, created by O. G. during the second half of the 19th century, was originally recorded as originating from Massachusetts. Its documented ownership chain begins with the acquisition by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch in 1950. Two years later, the work entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as a gift from the Garbisches in 1953.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Its accession number is 1953.5.1. It was acquired in 1953 as a gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch.
The work has not been recorded in any public exhibitions in institutional sources.
Overview
"Retriever" is an oil on canvas painted in 1874 by O. G. The work presents a winter landscape dominated by snow‑blanketed trees and gentle hills. Central to the scene is a black dog holding a bird in its mouth, positioned before a few evergreen trunks. A solitary figure stands among the trees in the background, providing a subtle human element.










