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Accession #	63.148.3
Artist	Guy Pène du Bois
Title	The Confidence Man
Date	1919
Medium	Oil on plywood panel
Dimensions	20 x 15 in. (50.8 x 38.1 cm) Frame: 28 x 22 1/2 x 2 in. (71.1 x 57.2 x 5.1 cm)
Inscriptions	verso inscriptions, in pencil: "$500.00"; "The Confidence Man / by Guy Pene ..."; in crayon: "Bx - 49 - 1" Gummed label: "28151" Gummed label: "From the / Chester Dall Collection / 20 East 79th Street. / New York, N.Y."
Signed	signed lower right: "Guy Pene duBois / 19"
Credit Line	Gift of Chester Dale
Location	Visible Storage: Case 16, Screen E (Paintings)

Curatorial Remarks: Body Language

The bold, open pose of the woman in Evening indicates that she is actively encouraging her partner’s attention. In contrast, the confidence man, or con man, in the adjacent painting stands aggressively near his female companion. His almost threatening stance and her downcast face suggest that he is not to be trusted.

Despite the physical closeness of these two sets of figures, their faces are inscrutable and the nature of their interactions remains ambiguous. Guy Pène du Bois frequently painted stiff figures with masklike faces, suggesting social alienation beneath the glitter and gloss of the party scene.