Tommies Bathing (John Singer Sargent)
Tommies Bathing is a 1918 watercolor painting by John Singer Sargent. It is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1]
| Tommies Bathing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | John Singer Sargent  |
| Year | 1918 |
| Dimensions | 34.6 cm (13.6 in) × 53.2 cm (20.9 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art |
| Accession No. | 50.130.58 |
| Identifiers | The Met object ID: 12440 |
Early history and creation
Sargent painted Tommies Bathing in the summer of 1918. The British government had commissioned him for a painting that would commemorate the efforts of the Americans and British in World War I, so he traveled to the front in the valley of the Somme to find a subject. During this time, he painted some informal watercolors, including Tommies Bathing. The name "Tommy" comes from "Thomas Atkins," which was the a fictitious name that the British Army used on official forms for private soldiers.[2]
Later history and display
The watercolor was a gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1950 from Mrs. Francis Ormond, Sargent's sister.[2]
Description and interpretation
The work depicts soldiers bathing, resting, and sleeping or napping, implying a narrative from the bathing soldier, to the soldier drying himself in the sunlight, to the partially dressed soldier.[3] Sargent used a high, voyeuristic viewpoint and shows the men in a state of complete relaxation. He also captured the shadows cast across the bodies by blades of grass, with technical facility.[4]
References
- "Tommies Bathing". Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- "Tommies Bathing, 1918". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- Herdrich, Stephanie L. (2000). American drawings and watercolors in the Metropolitan Museum of Art : John Singer Sargent. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 258. ISBN 0870999524. OCLC 43615463.
- "Tommies Bathing". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-07-20.