Name/Title
Poor YoricEntry/Object ID
2023.59.13Tags
Collecting the Art CoastDescription
Drawing of a hunter with a long gun on his shoulder and a dead bird tied to his waist. Behind him is a camp site with a clothesline and a coffee pot.
Text on the bottom right of the drawing reads:
"Alas! Poor Yoric I Knew Him
Well" The Pot Hunter.
F.D. Schook July 31-89
Artwork behind glass with beige mat and .5" wooden frame.Type of Drawing
PastelContext
One of the earliest known artworks made in Saugatuck. Schook was part of group of artists who camped in Saugatuck in summer of 1898. This drawing was made during this trip and includes location with signature below matting. The painting was acquired from the Kit and Art Lane estate. Schook was an instructor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and associated with Grand Rapids.
Yoric may be a reference from William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet"
"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now? Your gambols? Your songs? Your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roar?" (Hamlet, V.i)
A pothunter is a person who hunts game for food or profit, sometimes ignoring the rules of sport.Collection
ArtworksCataloged By
Winthers, SallyAcquisition
Accession
2023.59Source or Donor
Lakeshore Event Center/Tressa MillsAcquisition Method
PurchaseMade/Created
Artist
Schook, Fred de Forrest 1872-1942Date made
1898Dimensions
Dimension Description
including frameHeight
17 inWidth
13 inLocation
Room
2nd floor gallery/conference roomInterpretative Labels
Label
F.D. Schook
1872-1942
The Pot Hunter
1898 | pen and ink drawing
This pen and ink drawing signed and dated by "F.D. Schook, July
31--98, Saugatuck, Mich" is the oldest known work from the Art Coast of Michigan.
Frederick DeForest Schook (1872-1942) was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and later taught there, leading students to summer study in the Indiana dunes.
In 1898, Schook came to Saugatuck's dunes to retreat from the city and connect with nature. Their group is described in the Commercial Record newspaper in September of that year:
Camp "Artist's Dream," composed of four young artists of Chicago, broke up and left for home Monday. They have been here since June 21, and like the place so well that thoy say they will come again next year.
The verse "Alas! Poor Yoric I Knew Him Well" references Shakespeare's Hamlet in a humorous light. "The Pot Hunter" in the title is probably a reference to the pheasant attached to his belt which was destined for the dinner pot.
Lane Art CollectionGeneral Notes
Note
2023 auction description:
1898 Drawing of "Poor Yorig" by F.D. Schook. Signed, dated. Approx 17"x13" OA; 11 1/2"x7 3/4" SS. Piece has not been removed from frame for examination. Part of a Saugatuck/Douglas Art Collection.Note
Interpretive text from the 2008 "13 Moments in Time" exhibit mini portfolio:
"Alas! Poor Yoric I Knew Him Well" the Pot Hunter
1 of 13
F. D. Schook
Pen and ink, 1898
In 1898 a group of artists visited Saugatuck and camped out in the dunes in their own back-to-nature movement. They spent their days painting landscapes and modeling for each other. Here their coffee pot boils in the background as one of their number takes his turn at modeling. "The Pot Hunter" in the title is probably a reference to the bounty attached to his belt which was destined for the dinner pot. They also left many pictures showing the details of their camp and some of the good times they had interacting with the local people.
Frederick DeForest Schook (1872-1942) was born in eastern Allegan County, near Plainwell. After his studies he went on to teach at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for many years.
Collection of Art and Kit LaneCreate Date
December 20, 2023Update Date
April 29, 2025
