John Lewis Krimmel (1789-1821)

In this intimate household scene, John Lewis Krimmel depicts his reunion with his brother George’s family. Krimmel joined them in Philadelphia in 1809, two years after their arrival from Germany. After one year of working and living with his brother, John became an artist. He is often referred to as the first genre painter in America. As recalled by Abraham Ritter, Jr., a close friend of the family, the subject painting hung over the door of the back entrance at George’s home on Eleventh and Market Street. George, absent from the group, is depicted in his portrait hanging on the wall. It is thought that Krimmel was inspired by the genre paintings of Sir David Wilkie and this scene shows similarities to Wilkie’s Blind Fiddler (Tate Britain, N00099) including the composition of the figures and the group of objects pictured in the foreground (Milo M. Naeve for Schwarz Galleries, American Paintings (Philadelphia, 1998), no. 10).