Rip Van Winkle Awakening from his Long Sleep

1823

Henry Inman

Associated Names
Henry Inman

Painter, American, 1801 - 1846

This painting shows a man sitting on the ground in a woodland setting. On the right, light in the distance suggests an opening in the trees, which shows a small body of water with a white sailboat on it, barely visible through the foliage. The trees have dense leaves in shades of green, dark red, and burnt orange. In the center is an open green patch where the man sits on the left. He has pale skin, curly gray hair, and a gray beard. His eyes are wide, and one of his hands is raised to his head. He wears a brown jacket over a brown-green vest, red trousers, blue stockings, and brown shoes, a hat and rifle on the ground beside him. He is illuminated by a patch of light, while the rest of the forest is dark, aside from the opening on the right.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on wood

  • Credit Line

    Gift of William and Abigail Gerdts

  • Dimensions

    overall: 38.1 × 45.72 cm (15 × 18 in.)
    framed: 52.39 × 59.69 × 8.26 cm (20 5/8 × 23 1/2 × 3 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2018.44.134


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Sale, Shannon's Fine Arts Auctioneers, Milford, Connecticut, 29 October 2015); purchased by (Godel & Co., New York) for William H. [1929-2020] and Abigail Booth Gerdts, New York;[1] gift 2018 to NGA.
[1] Per documentation from Abigail Booth Gerdts provided with the gift, in NGA curatorial files.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1823

  • [Annual Exhibition], American Academy of the Fine Arts, New York, 1823, no. 115.

1846

  • [Henry Inman Memorial Exhibition], Art-Union Rooms, New York, 1846, no. 102.

1850

  • Catalogue of the Fifth Exhibition, Albany Gallery of Fine Arts, 1850, no. 91.

Bibliography

1987

  • Gerdts, William H., and Carrie Rebora.The Art of Henry Inman. Washington, D.C., 1987: 33, fig. 1

Inscriptions

lower right: Inman

Wikidata ID

Q63118535

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