The Letter

Thomas Wilmer Dewing

1895–1900 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

Boston-born and Paris-trained Thomas Wilmer Dewing is known as an "artist’s artist," given the lifetime appeal of his refined work to a select audience. In "The Letter," Dewing embraces his favorite theme—a contemplative woman in a genteel environment. The work’s aesthetic quietism has many sources: the intimate interiors of the Dutch Old Master Jan Vermeer; the formal arrangements of Japanese prints; and the simplified pictorial design and limited palette of the American expatriate James McNeill Whistler. "The Letter" retains its elaborate original frame—designed by Dewing’s close friend, the architect Stanford White—as do the other paintings on this wall.

Artist

Thomas Wilmer Dewing

Date

1895–1900

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1910