Before Sunrise

Object Details

• Artist

  Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

• Label

  Painter Thomas Dewing received a package of prints imported from Japan while he was painting Before Sunrise, one of a series of decorative works for collector Charles Lang Freer's parlor. Dewing's graceful figures suggest leisure and elegance, and they may be seen as Western counterparts to the refined courtesans in Japanese ukiyo-e prints. The artist briefly considered calling his painting "Dedicated to Utamaro," in honor of the influential Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro (1754--1806). He later asked Freer to hang Japanese prints in the parlor so they could be easily compared with his paintings.

• Provenance

  From 1894 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Thomas Wilmer Dewing in 1894 [1]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Purchased from T. W. Dewing on September 10, 1894; presumably unfinished at purchase (see Curatorial Remark 7, May 26, 2009, in the object record). See also, Curatorial Remark 4, Linda Merrill, March 22, 1993, in the object file.

  [2] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Dewing’s Poetic World (November 27, 2019 to May 29, 2022)

  Sylvan Sounds: Freer, Dewing, and Japan (May 18, 2013 to January 4, 2015)

  Surface Beauty: American Art and Freer's Aesthetic Vision (February 23, 2008 to August 1, 2010)

  Pretty Women: Freer and the Ideal of Feminine Beauty (August 13, 2005 to September 17, 2006)

  Choice Spirits: Works by Thomas Dewing and Dwight Tryon (March 9, 1996 to July 7, 1997)

  American Art - Thomas Wilmer Dewing (May 9, 1993 to February 20, 1996)

  Thomas Wilmer Dewing (January 3, 1985 to May 7, 1985)

  American Painting: To Dream of Fair Women (September 24, 1982 to February 29, 1984)

  Thomas Wilmer Dewing (June 19, 1980 to March 18, 1981)

  American Paintings: Thomas Wilmer Dewing (December 11, 1976 to April 16, 1977)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 8 and 9 (February 25, 1956 to April 28, 1958)

  Special Dewing Centennial Exhibition (May 17, 1951 to July 1, 1951)

  American Paintings, T.W. Dewing (May 2, 1923 to March 23, 1925)

  First Annual Exhibition of Selected Paintings by American Artists (April 9 to May 31, 1915)

  Ausstellung Amerikanischer Kunst (March 17 to April 17, 1910)

  Loan Collection of Paintings by Mr. T.W. Dewing (February 27 to March 20, 1900)

  Untitled Exhibition, Durand Ruel, 1898 (1898)

  An Exhibition of Paintings by T.W. Dewing (January 24, 1898 to February 10, 1898)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  United States

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1890s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Dewing, Thomas Wilmer

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Landscapes, Art, American Art, Morning, Ukiyo-e

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Paintings