John George Brown, Portrait of Melancholic Youth

John George Brown (1831-1913) was an English born, American painter collected both during and after his lifetime. A genre painter, Brown was known for his portraits of under class youth in New York City prior to 1900. Originally apprenticed to a glass craftsman, Brown knew from an early age his true calling was that of a portrait and city life painter. 

This piece is typical of Brown’s style and portrays a melancholic youth leaning on the back of a chair.  

Framed, excellent condition, oil on canvas, on board. 18” x 21” framed size. Signed in the field, dated 1893. Opinions differ, whether this is a portrait of a male or a female, highlighting the reality of people living on the brink of society often not fitting nicely into social norms of any time.

John George Brown is a well collected American Artist, having more than 700 pieces sold at auction and private sales with sales reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is a fine example of Brown’s work, at a price attainable to the collector.

MEMBERSHIPS

National Academy of Design

American Water Color Society

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Corcoran Art Gallery, Washington, D.C.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Peabody institute of the City of Baltimore

G.W.V. Smith Art Gallery, Springfield, Massachusetts

Brown said of his work, I am trying to capture the spirit of the street children as people who "pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” Many years later, Brown claimed that most of the street children he painted had grown to become successful businessmen.