American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

Provenance:

Mr. A. Rotbart (SD Photograph Archives).

Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, Sale of March 23, 1961, Lot 40.

(Presumably acquired directly from the above sale).

Zabriskie Gallery, New York, New York.

Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, New York.

Acquired directly from the above.

Literature:

Playboy, no. 1, 1919, p. 27, illustrated.

Ani Boyajian, Mark Rutkoski, Stuart Davis: A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven, 2007, p. 463, no. 966, illustrated.

Lot Note:

The title of the present lot, They Bring Me Tokens of Myself, is a reference to Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" (Leaves of Grass, 1855). In this context, "they" refers to animals. Whitman is observing the natural world and finding a profound connection with the creatures around him. The animals reflect back certain essential qualities that Whitman recognizes within himself–"tokens," in other words. Through observing animals, he envisions a purer, more essential version of himself. They remind him of the inherent worth and natural instincts that lie within him, stripped away from the layers of societal conditioning. The excerpt and Davis' watercolor are, together, a powerful offering about the interconnectedness of all living things and the wisdom that can be found in the natural world.