Charles Demuth American, 1883-1935
26.7 x 20.3 cm
Study for "On 'That' Street," 1932, offers insight into both Charles Demuth's artistic process and the social history of New York City. The work captures a scene near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, depicting a man attempting to pick up two sailors on Sands Street—then a vibrant area known for its diverse community that provided a place of freedom for the gay community. Study for "On 'That' Street" not only showcases Demuth's mastery of watercolor, from the blotted washes of color to the clean lines of the figures, but also provides a glimpse into the LGBTQ+ history of Brooklyn.
The present watercolor serves as a study for Demuth's well-known work On 'That' Street, which is held in the Art Institute of Chicago's collection. After Demuth's death in 1935, this watercolor and all of the works in his studio were bequeathed to Robert E. Locher, Demuth's longtime partner and a notable New York designer and illustrator.
Provenance
The artist; toRobert E. Locher, 1935;
Durlacher Brothers, New York;
Henry P. Mclhenny, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1950;
[Kennedy Galleries, New York];
Arthur and Holly Magill, 1980;
[Sale: Sotheby's, New York, November 30, 2000, lot 40];
The present owner, 2000
Exhibitions
(Probably) Philadelphia Museum of Art, Masterpieces of Philadelphia Private Collections, May 20-September 15, 1950, no. 170, as Man and Sailors
(Probably) Philadelphia Museum of Art, Collection of Henry P. McIlhenny, June-September 26, 1960, as On That Street (Sand Street, Brooklyn)
Schoelkopf Gallery, New York, American Stories: The Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall Collection, January 17—February 28, 2025
Literature
Richard Weyand, Scrapbooks, no. 143
Emily Farnham, Charles Demuth: His Life, Psychology and Works, Vol. II, Ohio State University, Ph.D. Dissertation, 1959, no. 555, p. 633-34, as Man and Sailors
Alvord L. Eisman, Charles Demuth, New York: Watson-Guptill, 1982, p. 22
Claire Ittner, Patricia Junker, and Carol Troyen, American Stories: The Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall Collection, New York: Schoelkopf Gallery, 2025
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