John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)

Sargent spent 1901 between his home in Farnham, Norway, and Italy. It seems likely that the present, previously unrecorded, drawing, with its haystacks bathed in strong summer light, was made near Farnham, Surrey. The use of the caricature to sign is highly unusual in his watercolours, being more often seen in letters. The inscription suggests that the drawing may have been sent to Sargent's great friend Leonard 'Ginx' Harrison, with whom he frequently made sketching trips to the Swiss Alps, and who appears in several drawings and paintings by Sargent.

We are grateful to the John Singer Sargent Catalogue Raisonné committee for their help in preparing this catalogue entry.