John La Farge

Henry Lee Higginson, Boston (acquired directly from the artist circa 1893)

Ida Agassiz Higginson, Boston (acquired by descent from the above in 1919)

Alexander Henry Higginson, Lincoln, Massachusetts and Dorset, England (acquired by descent from the above in 1935)

Mary Newcomb Higginson, Dorset, England and New York (acquired by descent from the above in 1964)

Kennedy Galleries, New York (acquired from the estate of the above in 1967)

Cass Canfield, Sr., New York (acquired from the above in 1967)

Christie’s, New York, 15 March 1985, lot 101 (consigned by the above)

Jordan-Volpe Gallery, New York

Transco Energy Company (acquired from the above)

Sotheby’s, New York, 3 December 1992, lot 28 (consigned by the above)

Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

New York, Durand-Ruel Galleries, Paintings, Studies, Sketches and Drawings, Mostly Records of Travel 1886 and 1890-91 by La Farge, 1895, no. 82, p. 25

Museum of Replica Handbags s, Boston, John La Farge Memorial Exhibition, 1911

New York, Kennedy Galleries, John La Farge: 1835-1910, 1968, no. 17, illustrated

John La Farge executed Fishing Party in Canoes, Samoa during his journey to the South Pacific islands in 1890. Like his fellow travelers from the West, he saw in the Samoan people and landscape visions of the ancient, classical tradition. His inscriptions on works from that period include references to Homer, and he visually identified with the works of Titian, Giorgione and Nicolas Poussin.

In the plethora of watercolors La Farge executed in the South Pacific, he often included detailed notes, freezing the moment in time to accompany his remarkable compositions with accurate description. The present work includes an inscription from the artist that reads, “Part of a fishing party from our village. Nov 20. This is the group to the right farthest out. They are waiting for tide to set in, and bring the fish. They are outside of the great net with smaller ones to catch the fish getting over. As you see, the water is not deep. Some have heads whitened with lime. One has a white turban secured with grass. Two have headdresses of banana leaves; Vau, Mataafa’s daughter came to us with a fish, swimming however and mostly underwater. About  the time the fish began to come in, most of the people got into the water with their nets, many keeping their eyes under water to see the fish, for a very long time, especially Mataafa. All the time they made an enormous circle, outside the great net. I was too far to paint and could only sketch in pencil.”