In 1914, the recently founded Guild of Boston Artists organized a two-person exhibition of Philip Little’s work, alongside sculptor Cyrus Dallis. Idle Hours was included in the exhibition, on loan from Mrs. Edward Lawrence Kent (nee Alice Cotting) for whom Little painted it two months prior. Rendered with the vigorous brushwork and dazzling palette cited by critics, the composition engages the viewer through the artist’s interpretation of Maine’s strong, clear sunlight, captured eloquently by the highlights and shadows on the figures’ white dresses and the rocks on which they are posed, while the warmth of summer is keenly felt through the hazy atmosphere over the water. Thematically, Idle Hours relates to at least two other paintings dating to this period in Little’s career; The Sisters, which was in his 1914 Guild show but whose present location is unknown, and An Upland Meadow, which was painted in 1917 and is now in the collection of the National Arts Club in New York.

More information about this painting...

Little enrolled at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1881, where he met Salem artist Frank W. Benson, and the two formed a lasting friendship. They both moved to Salem shortly after graduating, sharing a studio space at 2 Chestnut Street for several years before Little purchased a home at 10 Chestnut Street. Benson left to establish himself in Boston, but in 1924, he purchased 14 Chestnut Street, two doors down from the Littles.

Little’s familial wealth allowed him to continue his artistic pursuits and exhibit with the Boston Art Club, while also becoming an integral member of Salem’s civic community. He served in the Massachusetts National Guard between 1887 and 1901, retiring as a Major; represented his ward on the town council in 1891; was elected twice to the Salem Board of Aldermen the next two years; and was a member of the Salem School Board from 1898 until 1912. He was also involved with the Essex Institute (precursor of the Peabody Essex Museum) for decades, eventually serving as curator of art.

Concurrent to the many solo shows held of his work, Little intermittently took part in annual exhibitions at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts between 1908 and 1913, the Art Institute of Chicago between 1908 and 1925, and the National Academy of Design between 1911 and 1922, and was awarded a silver medal at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. His memberships included the Guild of Boston Artists, the National Arts Club, and the Portland, Maine, Society of the Arts, as well as etching societies in Boston, Chicago, and New York. Today his paintings and etchings can be found in several museums, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine, and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.

Provenance:

The artist

To collection of Alice Cotting (Mrs. Edward Lawrence Kent), Boston, Massachusetts, 1914

Eventually to estate sale, Brookline, Massachusetts (possibly the estate of the above, but further research is needed), circa 1945-1950

By purchase to private collection, Brookline, Massachusetts, circa 1945-1950, and thence by descent to the children of the purchaser, private collection, New York, to present

Inscription:

1. (verso of canvas) IDLE HOURS / PAINTED FOR / ALICE COTTING / OCTOBER 1914 / PHILIP LITTLE
2. (in pencil, top stretcher, upside down) 6044
3. (in black crayon, right stretcher) 914-3

Labels:

1. Medallion verso of frame: Foster Brothers / Makers / Boston, Mass.
2. Incised stamp verso of frame: 4298 / 4569

Exhibitions:

Exhibition of Paintings by Philip Little and Sculpture by Cyrus E. Dallin, Guild of Boston Artists, December 28, 1914 – January 9, 1915, as Idle Hours (lent by Mrs. Edward Lawrence Kent)