At the River's Bend (On the River II)

Public Domain

1895

Lilla Cabot Perry (American, 1848–1933)

Lilla Cabot Perry anchored this sensitive figure study, modeled by her daughter Edith, in a sun-dappled view of the Epte River in France. Staccato brushstrokes of bright pigments capture the scintillating effects of the surrounding landscape. Perry was one of the first American artists to embrace Impressionism. She studied in Boston and then Paris, where in 1889 she encountered the work of Claude Monet, leading to a friendship with him and numerous summer stays near his home in Giverny. She painted this canvas there in 1895, showcasing her experimentation with form, technique, and color. Garnering an international reputation as an artist, Perry was also an early advocate of modern art in her native Boston.

Status: On View, Gallery 171
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Lilla Cabot Perry
Title: At the River's Bend (On the River II)
Place: Giverny (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1895
Medium: Oil on canvas
Inscriptions: Signed, lower right, in dark pigment: L. C. Perry
Dimensions: 65.5 × 81.5 cm (25 13/16 × 32 1/8 in.)
Credit Line: Partial gift of Abbot W. and Marcia L. Vose; through prior bequest of Arthur Rubloff; through prior gift of James D. Thornton, Mrs. Abram Poole, and Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge; through prior bequest of Celia Schmidt; Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Logan Purchase Prize Fund; Mr. and Mrs. Frederick G. Wacker Endowment Fund
Reference Number: 2020.219
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/256797/manifest.json

Rockport Art Association, Strokes of Genius: Women Artists of New England, Past & Present, exh. cat. (Rockport, MA: Rockport Art Association, 2015), 11 (ill).
Cyrille Sciama and Marie Delbarre, Les enfants de l’impressionnisme, exh. cat. (Giverny, France: Musée des impressionnismes, 2023). 234, cat. 150 (ill.).

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Sixty-Fifth Annual Exhibition, Dec. 23, 1895–Feb. 22, 1896, no. 254, as At the River’s Bend.
Paris, Champs-de-Mars, Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, no. 992, April 25–[?], 1896, as Au bord de l’eau.
Boston, St. Botolph Club, An Exhibition of Paintings by Mrs. T. S. Perry, Nov. 10–24, 1897, no. 18, as On the River II.
Boston, Guild of Boston Artists, An Exhibition of Paintings by Lilla Cabot Perry, Jan. 10–22, 1927, no. 13, as On the River.
Boston, Boston Art Club, Memorial Exhibition of Paintings by Lilla Cabot Perry, Oct. 26–Nov. 18, 1933, no. 22, as On the River II.
Newport, RI, Art Association of Newport, Memorial Exhibition of Paintings by Lilla Cabot Perry, Sept. 11–29, 1934, no. 13, as On the River, Giverny II.
Washington, DC, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Lilla Cabot Perry: An American Impressionist, Sept. 28, 1990–Jan. 20, 1991, no. 21, as At the River’s Head [Edith Perry] (On the River, II).
Boston, Vose Galleries, The Boston School Tradition: Truth, Beauty, and Timeless Craft, June 6–Aug. 1, 2015.
Rockport, MA, Rockport Art Association and Museum, Strokes of Genius: Women in the Arts, Past and Present, Oct. 10–Nov. 14, 2015.
Boston, Vose Galleries, Cross Currents: The Colonies, Clubs, and Schools That Established Impressionism in America, Oct. 29, 2016–Jan. 28, 2017.
Giverny, France, Musée des impressionnismes Giverny, Les Enfants de l’impressionnisme, Mar. 31–July 2, 2023, cat. 150.

The artist, to 1933 [according to annotated exh. cat., Boston Art Club, Memorial Exhibition of Paintings by Lilla Cabot Perry, Oct. 26–Nov. 18, 1933, copy in Museum of Fine Arts Library, Boston]. Mrs. George H. L. Smith, Palmer, MA, by 1983; sold to Vose Galleries, Boston, October 17, 1983; sold to Abbot W. and Marcia L. Vose, Boston, June 11, 1984; sold/given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2020.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

On View

Status

Department

Artist

Title

Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

Inscriptions

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

Explore Further

Suggested Terms

See all hours

On View

Date:

Artist:

About this artwork

Status

Department

Artist

Title

Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

Inscriptions

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

Extended information about this artwork

Publication History

Exhibition History

Provenance

Share

Explore Further

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Gallery actions

Image actions

Share

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.