Artwork
Jungle Tales (Contes de la Jungle)
Jungle Tales (Contes de la Jungle) is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist James Jebusa Shannon. It dates from 1898 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work's iconography centers on the shared act of literacy and storytelling between the two figures.
James Jebusa Shannon's 1895 oil painting, Jungle Tales (Contes de la Jungle), depicts an intimate domestic scene featuring a woman and a young girl engaged in reading. The work's iconography centers on the shared act of literacy and storytelling between the two figures. While the specific text being read is not detailed in available records, the French title suggests the subject matter involves narratives set in or inspired by the jungle, implying the characters are absorbed in exotic tales.
The composition represents a moment of quiet connection and educational bonding, contrasting the implied wildness of the story's content with the serene, indoor setting occupied by the figures.
Technique & Style
Jungle Tales (Contes de la Jungle) is an oil‑on‑canvas painting created in 1895 by James Jebusa Shannon. The work, classified as a painting, measures 87 cm in height by 113.7 cm in width and portrays a woman and a girl engaged in reading. Its surface is built up with traditional oil pigments applied to a stretched canvas support, reflecting the academic technique common in late‑19th‑century European art.
The composition emphasizes naturalistic rendering of the figures and a balanced arrangement of space, while the handling of light and color contributes to a quiet, intimate atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Jungle Tales (Contes de la Jungle) was painted in 1895 by the Anglo‑American artist James Jebusa Shannon, executed in oil on canvas. The work depicts a woman and a girl engaged in reading. After its completion, the painting entered the holdings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it remains today.
No earlier owners or commission details are recorded in the available sources, so the documented provenance begins with the Met’s acquisition.
Context
Jungle Tales (Contes de la Jungle) is an 1895 oil on canvas painting by James Jebusa Shannon that portrays a woman and a girl engaged in reading. The work is classified as a painting and is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, reflecting the museum’s acquisition of significant late‑19th‑century genre scenes. Its subject matter aligns with contemporary literary interests, and its inclusion in a major institutional collection has made it a reference point for scholarship on Shannon’s output and on visual representations of jungle narratives in European‑American art.
Overview
James Jebusa Shannon's 1898 oil painting, Jungle Tales (Contes de la Jungle), exemplifies the Impressionist movement. This work portrays a quiet domestic scene featuring young girls engaged in reading. The Anglo-American artist's painting is part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, representing a common theme of the late 19th century.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Sir James Jebusa Shannon (3 February 1862 – 6 March 1923) was an Anglo-American artist. In 1886 he married Florence Mary Cartwright (d. 1948), with whom he had an only child, the illustrator Kitty Shannon (1887–1974).
