Description
Wilson Henry Irvine (American, 1869-1936). Oil on canvas portrait painting titled "Tea Time (Lois and Betty-June)." Depicting Irvine's daughter, Lois Irvine Simpson and his granddaughter, Betty-June Simpson, enjoying tea on a sunny afternoon in the garden at Brooksound, the artist's home in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Signed along the lower right.
Exhibition: National Academy of Design, New York, NY, "Winter Exhibition," 1932.
Provenance: Thence by descendent, Louis Irvine Simpson; Christie's, New York, NY, "Fine American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture," July 17, 2002, Lot 22; Private Collection; Christie's, New York, NY, "Fine American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture," September 27, 2004, Lot 96; The Distinguished Collection of Leo & Doris Hodroff.
Lot Essay:
Wilson Henry Irvine is best remembered as one of America's foremost Impressionist landscape painters. Celebrated for his luminous, lyrical depictions of the natural world, Irvine masterfully captured the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere that define the Impressionist movement.
Born in Byron, Illinois, Irvine studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago while working as a newspaper illustrator and commercial artist with the Chicago Portrait Company. A visit to the renowned artist colony at Old Lyme, Connecticut, in 1914 proved transformative, and he relocated there with his family in 1918. Surrounded by a vibrant community of painters, Irvine further developed his distinctive Impressionist vision, continually exploring innovative approaches to color and light. Among his most fascinating experiments was Prismatic Painting, in which he placed prisms over his glasses to refract light into brilliant spectral colors, translating these shimmering visual effects directly onto canvas.
Although best known for his radiant landscapes, Irvine also painted intimate portraits of family members and elegant still lifes, as beautifully demonstrated in "Tea Time." His dedication to advancing American Impressionism earned him election as a Member of the National Academy of Design in 1926. Irvine died at his home in Hamburg, Connecticut, on August 25, 1936. Today, his paintings remain in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Florence Griswold Museum, a lasting testament to his enduring contribution to American Impressionism.
Unframed; height: 40 in x width: 36 in. Framed; height: 50 1/2 in x width: 46 in x depth: 3 in.
Exhibition: National Academy of Design, New York, NY, "Winter Exhibition," 1932.
Provenance: Thence by descendent, Louis Irvine Simpson; Christie's, New York, NY, "Fine American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture," July 17, 2002, Lot 22; Private Collection; Christie's, New York, NY, "Fine American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture," September 27, 2004, Lot 96; The Distinguished Collection of Leo & Doris Hodroff.
Lot Essay:
Wilson Henry Irvine is best remembered as one of America's foremost Impressionist landscape painters. Celebrated for his luminous, lyrical depictions of the natural world, Irvine masterfully captured the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere that define the Impressionist movement.
Born in Byron, Illinois, Irvine studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago while working as a newspaper illustrator and commercial artist with the Chicago Portrait Company. A visit to the renowned artist colony at Old Lyme, Connecticut, in 1914 proved transformative, and he relocated there with his family in 1918. Surrounded by a vibrant community of painters, Irvine further developed his distinctive Impressionist vision, continually exploring innovative approaches to color and light. Among his most fascinating experiments was Prismatic Painting, in which he placed prisms over his glasses to refract light into brilliant spectral colors, translating these shimmering visual effects directly onto canvas.
Although best known for his radiant landscapes, Irvine also painted intimate portraits of family members and elegant still lifes, as beautifully demonstrated in "Tea Time." His dedication to advancing American Impressionism earned him election as a Member of the National Academy of Design in 1926. Irvine died at his home in Hamburg, Connecticut, on August 25, 1936. Today, his paintings remain in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Florence Griswold Museum, a lasting testament to his enduring contribution to American Impressionism.
Unframed; height: 40 in x width: 36 in. Framed; height: 50 1/2 in x width: 46 in x depth: 3 in.
Condition
There are no signs of restoration under UV light. The colors are bold and bright and the surface is stable. Light wear to the frame.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Wilson Henry Irvine "Tea Time" Oil on Canvas
Estimate $15,000-$25,000
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This auction is curated by:
Sean BlanchetAsian Art Specialist
Robert SnellPaintings and Sculpture Specialist
Fine Jewelry & Luxury Goods
Nov 17, 2026, 11:00 AM ESTSt. Paul, MN, United States
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