The Annunciation

1887

George Hitchcock
American, 1850–1913

In George Hitchcock’s unusual presentation of the Annunciation, the virgin is depicted as a Dutch peasant girl standing in a field of lilies. Traditionally, the lily is a symbol of the angel Gabriel, and Mary’s downcast eyes and humble stance imply that she has received his divine message. Hitchcock spent much of his life in Holland, and his work synthesizes elements of several European art movements. The choice of a religious subject, the unusual composition, and his interest in the effects of sunlight and shadow reflect the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites, the Symbolists, and the Impressionists on Hitchcock’s work.

Status: On View, Gallery 161
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: George Hitchcock
Title: The Annunciation
Place: United States (Artist's nationality:)
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.: 1887
Medium: Oil on canvas
Inscriptions: Signed, lower left: "Goe Hitchcock/ op xxxvi 1887"
Dimensions: 158.8 × 204.5 cm (62 1/2 × 80 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Potter Palmer Collection
Reference Number: 1930.1289
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/7503/manifest.json

Annette Blaugrund, “American Artists at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris,” Magazine Antiques 136, 5 (Nov. 1989), 1158–69, pl. ix.
Piri Halasz, “Exhibition Reviews: Paris 1889,” Art Journal 49, 3 (Fall 1990), 306–09.
Judith A. Barter et al., American Arts at The Art Institute of Chicago: From Colonial Times to World War I (Art Institute of Chicago, 1998).

Paris, France, Palais de Champs-Élysées, Salon des artistes français, May 1–[?], 1888, cat. 1297.
Paris, France, Exposition Universelle, May 6–Oct. 31, 1889, cat. 166.
Norfolk, Virginia, Chrysler Museum, Paris 1889: American Artists at the Universal Exposition, Sept. 29–Dec. 17, 1989, cat. 166; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Feb. 1–Apr. 15, 1990, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, New York Historical Society, Sept. 5–Nov. 15, 1990.

George Hitchcock, Egmond-aan-Zee, Holland, 1887; Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer, Chicago, 1890; bequeathed to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1930.

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