Still Life with Brook Trout
Elbridge Wesley Webber, American, 1839 - 1914
About 1892 - 1914
Oil on canvas
Overall: 20 1/16 × 30 in. (51 × 76.2 cm)
Frame: 24 1/8 × 34 1/4 in. (61.3 × 87 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Muriel B. and. David Camerer, Class of 1937
P.968.91
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
19th century
Object Name
Painting
Research Area
Painting
On view
Inscriptions
Signed, lower left: Wesley Webber. N.Y.
Label
Fish tumble from an overturned basket in this fishing still life. All sorts of objects—a fishing net, pole, hat, pipe, and fuzzy lures carefully tucked away in a booklet—reflect the artist’s enjoyment of a pastime, as well as the necessity of procuring food. Discarded matches inform the viewer that the fisherman, whose attributes are seen but he himself is absent, spent several hours smoking while filling this basket with a fresh catch.
The artist, Wesley Webber, likely fished in Long Island Sound, the endpoint of the nearby Connecticut River that divides Hanover, New Hampshire, from Norwich, Vermont. During this period, industrial waste from mills constructed along this river polluted Long Island Sound, leaving us to wonder about the health of those who consumed these fish.
From the 2023 exhibition Liquidity: Art, Commodities, and Water, curated by Michael Hartman, Jonathan Little Cohen Associate Curator of American Art
Course History
First Year Student Enrichment Program - Cultures, Identities and Belongings, Francine A'Ness, Summer 2023
Exhibition History
Gifts of the Class of 1937, Beaumont Gallery, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 10-November 11, 1973.
Liquidity: Art, Commodities, and Water, Israel Sack Gallery and the Rush Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 29, 2023-June 16, 2024.
Provenance
Muriel B. and David Morrogh Camerer; given to present collection, 1968.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu