Woman on Stairs

Name/Title

Woman on Stairs

Entry/Object ID

93-11-633

Type of Painting

Canvas

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Made/Created

Artist

Dewing, Thomas Wilmer

Date made

1880

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Painting Dimensions

Height

42 in

Width

15 in

Dimension Description

Frame Dimensions

Height

51 in

Width

25 in

Interpretative Labels

Label

2024, “Endangered Art: Reclaiming a Legacy” Thomas Wilmer Dewing was renowned for his ethereal Tonalist paintings of women. He was a founding member of the Ten American Painters, an influential group of artists who banded together to promote original, imaginative work that was overlooked by the mainstream American art establishment. Woman on Stairs was cleaned, and then conservators in-painted minor losses in the surface. It was sprayed with a protective layer of varnish. The frame was in poor condition, with numerous chipped edges and missing pieces. Frame losses were sculpted with epoxy and then reconstructed to match the surrounding areas. 18-carat gold was applied to the frame’s surface, and the gilding was sealed and waxed.

Label

(2025 post) Art Up Close: The woman in this painting walks in a picturesque outdoor space, a trail of flowers scattered behind her. Using a hazy, soft-focused brushstroke, Thomas Wilmer Dewing often painted women in dreamy settings in an ode to timeless beauty. Stop by the exhibition "Endangered Art: Reclaiming a Legacy" to study this painting in person!