Artwork
Straw Hat, Bag, and Umbrella
Straw Hat, Bag, and Umbrella is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist John F. Peto. It dates from 1904 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:reverse, in green pen: Painted by my father John Frederick Peto. / Helen Peto Smiley; reverse, in black pen: Blossom Smiley Bejarano 2
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The straw hat and umbrella suggest seasonal change and outdoor recreation, while the bag functions as a portable repository of personal belongings.
The work presents three everyday objects, a straw hat, a handbag, and an open umbrella, arranged on a tabletop within a modest interior. These items, rendered with Peto’s characteristic meticulous realism, have been linked to themes of domestic routine, leisure, and the transience of material comfort. The straw hat and umbrella suggest seasonal change and outdoor recreation, while the bag functions as a portable repository of personal belongings.
Together they create a quiet still life that reflects on the fleeting nature of everyday moments. The painting, executed in oil on fabric around 1890–early 1900s, was sold by Hirschl & Adler Galleries and later entered the National Gallery of Art through the bequest of Paul Mellon.
Technique & Style
Straw Hat, Bag, and Umbrella is executed in oil on fabric that was transferred from a canvas board support, a technique consistent with John Frederick Peto's trompe l'oeil still-life practice of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The unusually narrow vertical format, measuring approximately 39.7 by 24.5 centimeters, suits the closely arranged hanging objects. Two Hirschl & Adler Galleries labels remain affixed to the reverse of the panel, documenting its early commercial handling.
The work entered the National Gallery of Art through the 1999 bequest of Paul Mellon, with a life interest retained by Rachel Lambert Mellon.
History & Provenance
Straw Hat, Bag, and Umbrella was created by John Frederick Peto and dated to the period spanning 1890 to the early 1900s. The work is executed in oil on fabric transferred from canvas board. Prior to its acquisition by a private collector, the painting was held by Hirschl & Adler Galleries in New York, which is documented by two gallery labels affixed to the reverse of the painting bearing the gallery number APG: 7886D; the gallery is recorded as the owner in 1980 in the Smithsonian Institution's Inventory of American Paintings.
The painting subsequently entered the collection of Paul Mellon (1907–1999) of Upperville, Virginia. Upon Paul Mellon's death in 1999, the work was bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art, with a retained life interest granted to his wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon (1910–2014).
Straw Hat, Bag, and Umbrella is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The painting entered the museum’s collection in 1999 via the bequest of Paul Mellon, who had acquired it from Hirschl & Adler Galleries in New York; this transfer is noted in the Smithsonian Institution’s 1980 inventory and confirmed by gallery labels on the reverse of the work.[1] The work measures 39.69 × 24.45 cm, as recorded in the National Gallery of Art’s collection data. No exhibition history is documented in the sources consulted.
Overview
John Frederick Peto's painting, Straw Hat, Bag, and Umbrella, dates to approximately 1904. This oil on fabric work presents a straightforward still life arrangement featuring the titular objects: a woven straw hat, a fabric bag, and a closed umbrella. The composition exemplifies Peto's characteristic focus on everyday items, rendered with a quiet observation that invites closer inspection of their forms.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Frederick Peto (May 21, 1854 – November 23, 1907) was an American trompe-l'œil ("fool the eye") painter who was long forgotten until his paintings were rediscovered along with those of fellow trompe-l'œil artist William Harnett.
Figure in Turkish Costume
Ciocciara
Figure in Turkish Costume
Still-Life with Chinese Porcelain Bowl
Portrait of Feliks Jasieński Dressed as a Bedouin
The Powers of the World
Still Life with Cooking Utensils
Meisje bij een deuropening.
Interior with a Still Life on a Work Table
A Lady Seen from Behind
Fragment of the Cover of Quinn's Bed. Study to the Painting "The Death of Barbara Radziwiłł"- Still Life with Straw Hat