Signed and dated 'Childe/Hassam/86' bottom left; also dedicated 'A mon Ami Ventura' bottom left, watercolor heightened with white gouache on paper laid down to board
Sheet size: 9 7/8 x 7 3/4 in. (25.1 x 19.7cm)

Provenance

William H. Thompson Galleries, New York, New York.
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, New York.
Milch Galleries, New York, New York.
Acquired directly from the above in 1953.
Collection of Mr. John Fox, Boston, Massachusetts.
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, New York.
Acquired directly from the above in 1960.
Collection of Mr. Fleishman, New York, New York.
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, New York.
Acquired directly from the above in 1962.
Private Collection, Massachusetts.
By descent in the family.
Private Collection, Massachusetts.
Freeman's, Philadelphia, sale of December 3, 2017, lot 1.
Acquired directly from the above sale.
Private Collection, Virginia.

Exhibited
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, New York, 1964, no. 1 (exhibited as Old Chelsea, London, England).

Literature
Apollo, no. 79, May 1964 (illustrated as Old Chelsea, London, England).

Note

This lot has been accepted for inclusion in Stuart P. Feld and Kathleen M. Burnside's forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the artist's work. We would like to thank Kathleen M. Burnside for her kind assistance in cataloguing this lot.

Previously entitled Old Chelsea, and described as a London street scene, this watercolor is now thought to depict a view of Columbus Avenue in Boston. In 1885-1886, Hassam embraced the street life of Boston, painting many views of the city and its streets both in rain and snow, so as to experiment with the tonal and luminous effects of precipitation. The present work shows a view of Columbus Avenue, looking northeast from a vantage point not far from Hassam's home in the Albermarle Hotel at 282 Columbus Avenue, near the intersection of Clarendon. The visible landmark in the distance is the tower of the Boston and Providence Railroad station built in 1871, located at Park Square. This watercolor is related to other Boston subjects including the painting Columbus Avenue, Rainy Day, now in the collection of the Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts.