At the canal I 1903

An old white-haired fisherman with a cap sits in a rowboat, between his knees he holds a little girl in Dutch costume with a white hood with wing-like flared sides. To the left of the fisherman sits an older girl, also in traditional costume, pulling the boat toward the quay wall. Her gaze is serious and focused forward. In the background the reflecting water of the canal is visible, as well as wooden quays.

JQAW# G_1903_060
Oil on canvas 85 x 110 cm
Signature: John Quincy Ɑdams Volendam 903.
Private collection Austria
Picture: courtesy Auktionskaus im Kinsky Wien 2026

This study from Holland, likely from the fishing village of Volendam, is most notable for the serious facial expression of the old fisherman and the two girls, which sets it apart from typical (idealized) genre paintings. The painting was until 2026 documented only by a B/W reproduction from the archive of the Vienna Künstlerhaus and its entry book (EL #47 1904/05 #1336). In 2026 it was offered for auction at the auction house im Kinsky in Vienna from a private collection.

Cross-references

Exhibited

1904 Künstlerhaus Vienna #184
(EL #47 1904/05 #1336).

Literature

APH, catalog raisonné JQA 1995, p. 55, cat.24, fig.14

Provenance

Exhibition Künstlerhaus Vienna 1904, from collection of Leon (Leopold) Neumann, returned to owner on 9.4.1904.
Collection Leopold Neumann, Vienna.
Unknown.
? to ca. 1975 collection Ernst Herlitschka, Vienna.
1975 - 2026, heirs after Ernst Herlitschka, private collection Vienna.
Auction xx.xx.xx im Kinsky Vienna, Lot yy.