Who painted Lake Como, May 1, 1869 (recto, from Sketchbook)?

Lake Como, May 1, 1869 (recto, from Sketchbook) was painted by Jervis McEntee in 1869.

Where can I see Lake Como, May 1, 1869 (recto, from Sketchbook)?

Lake Como, May 1, 1869 (recto, from Sketchbook) is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Lake Como, May 1, 1869 (recto, from Sketchbook)?

Lake Como, May 1, 1869 (recto, from Sketchbook) is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Lake Como, May 1, 1869 (recto, from Sketchbook)

Jervis McEntee , 1869

Lake Como, May 1, 1869 (recto, from Sketchbook) is a gouache drawing by the Impressionist artist Jervis McEntee. It dates from 1869 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Lake Como, May 1, 1869 is a landscape sketch depicting a lake bordered by trees.

Lake Como, May 1, 1869 is a landscape sketch depicting a lake bordered by trees. Executed in graphite and white gouache on blue paper, the work belongs to the tradition of American landscape drawing, using the toned paper to establish a middle value while graphite defines the topography and white gouache supplies highlights on the foliage and water. The dated title situates the scene at a specific moment and place, suggesting the artist recorded the Italian lakeside on the first day of May during his 1869 travels.

As a recto page from a sketchbook, the sheet served as a working study rather than a finished composition, capturing the natural setting of Lake Como as observed in situ.

Technique & Style

Executed in 1869, this work is a drawing rather than a painting, created using graphite and white gouache. The artist applied these media onto a support of blue paper, utilizing the colored ground as a mid-tone within the composition. The piece functions as a recto page from a sketchbook, indicating its origin as a preparatory or observational study rather than a finished exhibition canvas.

Stylistically, the work is classified as a landscape, depicting a lake scene that includes trees. The combination of graphite for linear definition and white gouache for highlights allows for a rapid capture of light and form typical of plein air sketching practices of the period.

History & Provenance

Jervis McEntee created "Lake Como, May 1, 1869" (recto) during his 1869 visit to Lake Como, using graphite and white gouache on blue paper. The work entered The American Wing classification and was later acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains in the collection as accession number 1982.217.7 recto. Its creation history is tied to a sketchbook entry dated May 1, 1869, reflecting McEntee’s immediate response to the landscape.

The work is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, with the accession number 1982.217.7 (recto).

It has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the 1982 reinstallation of The American Wing, where it is recorded as part of the museum's collection.

Overview

Lake Como, May 1, 1869 is a small drawing by Jervis McEntee, an American artist linked to the Hudson River School. Executed in graphite with touches of white gouache on blue paper, the work records a tranquil lakeside scene observed during a travel sketch. The piece is part of the museum’s American Wing collection.