Description
Boughton was the son of a Norwich farmer who was taken to America while still an infant. He initially opened a studio in Albany, New York, listing himself as a landscape painter. He eventually settled in London where he produced historical genre scenes, many of which were set in New England. This painting is set in the English Regency period. A young couple is seated at the fork of diverging paths. As noted by the artist, this is an ominous sign for their furture:
"A young pair are seated under a tree- late autumn, the big leaves all about- he is reading a book and carelessly caressing his dog; and she is pouting prettily, but thinking no pretty thoughts of him. (Excerpt from a now unlocated letter from Boughton to W. T. Walters reproduced in the early Walters catalogues).



The Waning Honeymoon
Conservation
Date | Description | Narrative |
---|---|---|
7/01/1972 | Treatment | varnish removed; coated; other |
5/12/1976 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
8/06/1976 | Treatment | lined; coated; other |
10/06/1976 | Treatment | repaired |
10/25/1976 | Treatment | varnish reduced; coated; other |
Exhibitions
- [Exhibition title unknown, held at the Royal Academy]. Royal Academy of Arts, London. 1878.
- American Expatriate Painters of the Late Nineteenth Century. Dayton Art Institute, Dayton; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles. 1976-1977.
- Harborplace Light Street Pavilion Special Display. Harborplace, Baltimore. 1980.
- From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2014-2016.
Provenance
Purchased by William T. Walters from the artist, Baltimore, ca. 1878; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Inscriptions
[Signature] Lower left: 18 G. H. Boughton 78
Credit
Acquired by William T. Walters, ca. 1878
Creator
Period
1878Accession Number
37.129Measurements
H: 20 × W: 30 1/16 × D: 1 1/8 in. (50.8 × 76.36 × 2.86 cm); Framed H: 33 3/4 × W: 44 3/4 × D: 5 5/8 in. (85.73 × 113.67 × 14.29 cm)Geographies
- United Kingdom, England, London (Place of Origin)