Artwork
The Sportsman's Dream
The Sportsman's Dream is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Senior, C.F.. It dates from 1881 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. C.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: C.F. SEnior; on newspaper: THE / AMERICAN FIELD; on boxes, lower left: ANA / CIGARS
About this work
Technique & Style
The Sportsman's Dream is an oil painting on canvas by C.F. Senior. The work measures 56.2 by 76.6 cm. Its medium and support, oil on canvas, place it within the standard conventions of 19th-century American easel painting. No further details about the artist's handling, brushwork, or stylistic approach are recorded in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the museum's holdings in 1980 through the bequest of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch.
The painting The Sportsman's Dream by C.F. Senior is dated to 1881 or later. Its recorded provenance begins in New York, where it was held by Harry Stone. Stone sold the work in 1946 to the collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch.
The piece remained in their collection until it was bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1980.
The Sportsman's Dream is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The painting entered the museum's holdings in 1980 through the bequest of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. Prior to this acquisition, the work was sold in 1946 by Harry Stone of New York to the Garbisches. The provided records do not list specific inventory numbers or detail any public exhibitions for this piece.
Context
Painted in 1881 or later, The Sportsman's Dream by C.F. Senior exemplifies the sporting genre popular in late 19th-century Britain and America. Senior specialized in equine and hunting scenes, aligning with a broader tradition of sporting art that celebrated aristocratic leisure. The work entered the National Gallery of Art collection in 1980 via the bequest of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, reflecting its significance within American sporting art holdings.
Its dimensions of 56.2 cm by 76.6 cm are documented at the National Gallery of Art, situating it within the standard format for such compositions.
Overview
C.F. Senior's 'The Sportsman's Dream,' executed in 1881, is an oil on canvas interior scene depicting a solitary male figure seated in a domestic setting. The composition centers on the subject, who is absorbed in reading a copy of 'The American Field,' a periodical dedicated to hunting and outdoor sports. The figure is surrounded by iconography that explicitly identifies his identity and interests: a hunting dog rests nearby, while the mantlepiece displays a mounted deer head and a clock, and the background features a bookshelf.
These elements collectively construct a narrative of the leisurely life of a 19th-century American sportsman. The work functions as a genre painting that celebrates the specific cultural milieu of hunting enthusiasts during the late Victorian era. By focusing on the quiet moment of reading amidst the tools and trophies of the hunt, the artist captures the intersection of intellectual pursuit and outdoor sport.
The painting reflects the broader 19th-century American artistic interest in domestic realism and the documentation of contemporary social types, offering a detailed study of the material culture associated with the sporting life of the period.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a man reading a newspaper titled The American Field while seated in an armchair. Around him lie symbols of outdoor pursuits, a mounted deer head, hunting equipment, and a loyal dog, suggesting his identity as an avid sportsman and the blending of leisure with the trophies of his pursuits.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
