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Design for the Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Baltimore artist Alfred Jacob Miller is known primarily for his paintings of the American West, but his interests extended beyond this subject. A prolific sketcher, he filled many journals with drawings and captions from the time he was studying in Paris and Rome (1833) until the 1870's. The interests of Miller are clearly reflected in these sketches: the theater (a large portion being quick figure drawings of the Ravel Pantomime Troupe), studies of works by the Old Masters, literary illustrations, childhood memories, Baltimore scenery, and witty scenes of characters.
This drawing is likely a design, perhaps for a seal, for the Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which was founded in 1869. The roundel shows a winged figure intervening to stop a man from whipping his tired and thin horse, which is pulling a heavily loaded cart. The artist's brother, Decatur Howard Miller, was on the founding executive committee of the society, which originally aimed to protect working horses. The society still exists today, caring for dogs and cats
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Alfred Jacob Miller, Jr.; Norton Asner, Baltimore, 1959 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, June 11, 1968, by purchase.
Geographies
USA (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 8 9/16 x W: 8 7/16 in. (21.7 x 21.4 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds provided by the S. & A.P. Fund, 1968
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.2453.47