Nineteenth Century Houses
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
William Hawkings was born in eastern Kentucky at the end of the nineteenth century. When he was two years old, his mother died, and Hawkings was sent to live on his grandparents' farm. Although he moved to Columbus, Ohio, as a young man, much of his work depicts idyllic agrarian life, the memories of his childhood. Self-taught as an artist, Hawkins could not afford to purchase commercial frames for his paintings, and he typically painted a decorative border around his pictures.
Caption
William L. Hawkins (American, 1895–1990). Nineteenth Century Houses, late 20th century. Enamel on masonite, 45 x 60in. (114.3 x 152.4cm) storage: 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Armand J. Castellani, 1991.273. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Nineteenth Century Houses
Date
late 20th century
Medium
Enamel on masonite
Classification
Dimensions
45 x 60in. (114.3 x 152.4cm) storage: 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm)
Signatures
Inscribed: "William L. Hawkins, Born. KY. July 27, 1895"
Credit Line
Gift of Armand J. Castellani
Accession Number
1991.273
Frequent Art Questions
Art of this kind wasn't even collected by major "fine art" museums like this one until the 1930s. The artist, William Hawkins, titled the scene along the bottom. He was barely literate, but he definitely wanted us to know his name and the date he made the painting. He was born in rural Kentucky in 1895 but later lived in Ohio. He used inexpensive materials like paint from a hardware store, and his subject matter often came from photos in magazines, ads, and newspapers, combined with his own memories.
I see you've moved into that corner with work by self-taught artists! I like the way Hawkins always puts his name and other autobiographical information on his frames. His subject matter came from his own life and memories of his childhood in rural Kentucky.
Do you know how old he was when he painted this piece?Well, he was born in 1895 (as we can tell by the frame) but we don't have an exact date for this work. Scholars say he began painting in the 1930s so he was at least middle-aged.
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