JOHN GEORGE BROWN (1831-1913)

We would like to thank Martha Hoppin for her assistance with cataloguing this lot.

In the early 1870s, J.G. Brown began painting poor Italian children as a result of spreading news of their plight on the streets of New York City. According to Hoppin, "The catalyst may have been a specific news topic, the plight of poor Italian children forced to play harp and violin on the streets to earn pennies." She continues, "In 1873 and 1874, during the height of public concern for the children, Brown made them the focus of at least six paintings, among them The Little Strollers, Boy with Harp, The Two Musicians, and Girl with Violin." (The World of J.G. Brown, Chesterfield, Massachusetts, 2010, p. 135)