Artwork
1886
1886 is an unspecified painting by Perkins Harnly. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Figures, a horse‑drawn carriage, and street furniture populate the scene, lending a sense of everyday activity despite the overall atmospheric blur.
Perkins Harnly’s 1940 watercolor titled *1886* captures a nocturnal urban façade rendered in stark black‑and‑white tones. The composition centers on a tall, ornamented structure topped by twin spires, with a modest café sign providing the sole accent of color. Figures, a horse‑drawn carriage, and street furniture populate the scene, lending a sense of everyday activity despite the overall atmospheric blur.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a Victorian‑era building whose storefront bears the inscription “BARIO CA.” Below, a sidewalk café invites patrons, while passersby and a carriage suggest a bustling street life. The limited palette emphasizes the interplay of light and shadow, hinting at the contrast between public architecture and private leisure.
Technique & Style
Executed in watercolor for the Federal Art Project’s Index of American Design, Harnly employs precise line work and controlled washes to delineate architectural detail. The dominant monochrome scheme creates a chiaroscuro effect, while the isolated splash of hue on the café sign draws the eye and adds visual balance.
History & Provenance
Born in Nebraska, Harnly later lived in Los Angeles and New York, where he contributed numerous watercolors of historic interiors to the New Deal’s Federal Art Project. *1886* entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains part of the museum’s holdings of American design documentation.
Context
The painting belongs to a series produced under the Index of American Design, a WPA initiative aimed at cataloguing the nation’s decorative arts. Harnly’s focus on Victorian interiors reflects a broader mid‑20th‑century interest in preserving and studying America’s architectural heritage.
Artist & collection
Artist
Perkins Harnly (1901–1986) was an artist with the Federal Art Project's Index of American Design.
