Beschreibung:

Thomas Worthington Whittredge American, 1820-1910 Chapultepec Castle Remnants of a signature Whittredg... (lr) and inscribed on the reverse Chepultipec [sic]/ Mexico Oil on canvas 10 1/8 x 14 1/2 inches In late 1892, Worthington Whittredge accompanied Frederic Edwin Church on one of his regular visits to Mexico. "The inscriptions in Whittredge's sketchbook show that the two artists toured Mexico City, Acambara, Morelia, Belam, and Lake Cuetzeo between February 21 and 26, 1893. Whittredge writes that 'of all my rambles [it was] the least productive thus far of anything from my easel.'" [Worthington Whittredge, The Autobiography of Worthington Whittredge ed. J. Baur, Brooklyn Museum of Art, 1942, p. 42, as quoted in Anthony F. Janson, Worthington Whittredge Cambridge University Press, 1989, p. 197). Only a handful of compositions in watercolor and oil were inspired by this exotic sojourn. The degree of finish suggests that the present work was painted back in the studio, sometime after the artist's return to America, as appears to be the case with one or two other Mexican themes. Here, Whittredge depicts not only the grand palace, but also the far more humble dwellings of the local populace that had begun to encroach upon the palace grounds. The painting thus serves both as memento and social commentary, presented within the context of a light-infused, impressionistic composition. The Chapultepec Castle served as the imperial palace of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico and his wife Empress Carlota, and later as the residence of several presidents of Mexico. C
Canvas appears to have possibly been cut down; paint film extends onto canvas overlap. Approximately 1/2 inch of the right edge appears to be unfinished. Surface grime, dirty yellowed varnish. No evidence of restoration under UV exam.