Yellow Room

Painting

-

Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

removed from frame, Dec 2023, at aquistion

removed from frame, Dec 2023, at aquistion

Name/Title

Yellow Room

Entry/Object ID

2023.59.18

Tags

Collecting the Art Coast, Garden Art

Description

Watercolor painting of a bedroom with yellow, striped walls and green curtains in a bay window. The chandelier and the spindled bed frame are enhanced with opaque white paint. On the bottom left corner "The Yellow Room at Saugatuck" is written on the painting. Painting was framed in a standard wooden photo frame with an "antique" embossed pattern. Artwork was removed from the frame in December 2023.

Type of Painting

On paper

Artwork Details

Medium

Watercolor

Context

The painting was acquired from the Kit and Art Lane estate.

Collection

Artworks

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2023.59

Source or Donor

Lakeshore Event Center/Tressa Mills

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Dimensions

Dimension Description

including frame

Height

10 in

Width

8 in

Location

Shelf

AC shelf 03

Room

Art Conservation Room

Interpretative Labels

Label

From "Collecting the Lakeshore" 2025-2026 at the History Center main floor gallery Unknown artist The Yellow Room at Saugatuck circa 1910-1930 | watercolor on paper Interior subjects are rare in the art history of the Art Coast. This painting and the one above it provide a unique and personal window into domestic material life at the Lakeshore over the last century. The annotation “The Yellow Room at Saugatuck” sets the location at the Lakeshore. Yet additional details remain elusive. Whose home is this? What artist created this intimate and warm portrait of a bedroom in Saugatuck? The context and choice of words imply that the artist was one of many visiting Saugatuck around the 1920s. It is a fine watercolor drawing of a bedroom with yellow, striped wallpaper and green curtains hung across a bay window. A row of four framed prints or drawings decorate the side of the bay. An electric lamp and chandelier help set the time period of the interior to the 1910s. This artwork came to the History Center from the estate of Kit and Art Lane in 2023 thanks to the generous support of donors Herb and Karen Tews. Kit and Art Lane collection Accession number 2023.59.18

General Notes

Note

2023 auction description: Undated Watercolor by Artist Unknown. Approx. 10"x8" OA; 9"x6 3/4" SS. Piece has not been removed from frame for examination. Part of a Saugatuck/Douglas Art Collection.

Note

The Corlett family (Anne and her sisters/cousins) do not think this painting was created by Helen E. Corlett since the handwriting does not match.

Create Date

December 21, 2023

Update Date

September 15, 2026