Alfred Pope: An Evolution of Ingenuity

Honoré Daumier (1810–1879)

26. La Salle des pas-perdus au Palais de Justice

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La Salle des pas-perdus au Palais de Justice, c. 1860

This Daumier painting is Hill-Stead’s latest discovery – we were able to secure the loan the day this exhibition opened. While we knew that Alfred had purchased this painting by the artist thanks to a receipt from the Dutch gallery E. J. van Wisselingh & Co. in 1896, we were not fully aware of the nuances of the painting, having only a black and white photograph in a 1907 publication, or its current whereabouts. This work is vastly different from anything else Pope acquired during his lifetime. The subject matter, the darker color palette, and the influence of the Old Masters, Rubens, and Rembrandt, apparent in the composition, set this work aside from any others Alfred ever bought.

Like many of the other works in the Pope collection, Theodate sold this Daumier after her father’s passing. She sold the work to Durand-Ruel on May 21, 1936. After that, the painting went to the prominent art dealer Sam Salz. After changing hands a few times, the work now belongs to an American private collector, who very generously lent it to Hill-Stead despite the short notice.