Swing at the Old Inn by Mabel Wheelock, 1919

Painting

-

Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

Name/Title

Swing at the Old Inn by Mabel Wheelock, 1919

Entry/Object ID

2022.94.01

Tags

Garden Art

Description

Unframed oil-on-panel painting of a woman wearing a green hat and orange skirt who is leaning against the swing at the Ox-Bow Inn.

Type of Painting

Panel

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Context

Likely a model posing for a plein air painting as Ox-Bow was famed for in the 1920s

Collection

Artworks, 1910 Ox-Bow

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2022.94

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Made/Created

Artist

Wheelock, Mabel Louise 1887-1950

Dimensions

Height

20 in

Width

13-3/4 in

Location

Room

2nd floor gallery/conference room

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Ox-Bow Inn/Riverside Hotel/Shriver family home, Ox-Bow/Summer School of Art

Interpretative Labels

Label

Mabel Louise Wheelock 1887 - 1950 Swing at the Old Inn 1919 | oil on panel Mabel Wheelock is primarily known as a landscape painter, active in Illinois and California. In this fine example of Wheelock's work, she captures the nuances of summer atmosphere by contrasting warm tones on the model's sunlit clothing with the cool shadows of the background. The work shows the impressionistic influence of Ox-Bow cofounder Frederick Fursman, with whom Wheelock studied in the early 1920s. The "Old Inn" of the title is the 1873 Charles Shriver home that serves today as the Ox-Bow Inn on the Ox-Bow campus. Collection: Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Accession: 2022.94

Label

From "Collecting the Lakeshore" 2025-2026 at the History Center main floor gallery Mabel Louise Wheelock 1887-1950 Woman at the Old Inn 1919 | oil on panel The painting transports viewers directly back to the 1910s through its use of color and its setting. The main character is a woman dressed in the fashion of the era, likely a woman artist standing in front of the Riverside Hotel, home of the newly established Ox-Bow Summer School of Painting (1910). The work shows the impressionistic influence of Frederick Fursman, with whom Wheelock studied with in the 1910s and 20s. Signed and dated “M. L. Wheelock” in pencil on the back of the panel, this is a painting by Mabel Wheelock. Daughter of a prominent Chicago family Wheelock lived in Wilmette her entire life. An early student of the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago, she continued her artistic studies at the Art Institute of Chicago. Wheelock was able to take advantage of her education and position to travel across the United States, Canada and Mexico, looking for exotic and interesting places to paint. In much of her work she displays her ability to capture the nuances of seasons through color and atmosphere. Purchased with support from SDHC Friends of Art Accession 2022.94.01

Create Date

December 14, 2022

Update Date

September 15, 2026