J. Otis Adams, The Library at the Hermitage, c. 1905, oil on canvas, donor: Mr. and Mrs. David Givens
This picture showcases members of the families of John Ottis Adams and Theodore Clement Steele, who were living together during the early 1900’s in the wonderful town of Brookville, Indiana. The families resided in what now known as “The Hermitage.” The stately woman standing in the center of the room garbed in a beautiful green blue dress is John’s wife Winifred. She seems to be enjoying a conversation with T.C. Steele’s first wife, Mary, while John Alban Adams, the eldest of the three Adams children, sits to the side marveling at the ornate figures on the library shelf. Since John Alban was born in 1900 after Mary passed away, this painting is likely to be a memorial dedicated to her. It could also be Mary’s daughter, Daisy, who at age 33, would have been more youthful than the woman in the chair. Either way, Adams does a fantastic job at capturing the peaceful and happy atmosphere of the Hermitage with natural light splashing on the carpet, radiating different colors. Blues in the dress, table cloth, lamp shade, and books suggests a calm atmosphere and really speak to the loving relationship between the two families.
Family of J. Ottis Adams
(From left to right: son John Alban, wife Winifred Adams, son Edward Wolf,
J. Ottis Adams, Son Robert Brady)
Courtesy of the Indianapolis Museum of Art J. Ottis Adams Research Collection (M010)
Click the links below for more information about this painting and artist:
- J. Ottis Adams and T. C. Steele: A Lasting Friendship
- The Hermitage’s Inception
- The Hermitage Now
- Video comparing a historic photograph of the Hermitage library and the painting
Brandon Wongngamnit