Last Flowers

Jules Breton (French, b.1827, d.1906), painter

1890

France

oil on canvas

40 x 32 in. (101.6 x 81.3 cm), framed 48 x 41 1/8 x 3 1/2 in. (121.9 x 104.5 x 8.9 cm)

Painting

European Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings

Gift of Emilie L. Heine in memory of Mr. and Mrs. John Hauck

(Samuel Putnam Avery, New York); Phoebe Hearst [1842-1919]; William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) [1]. Probably John Levy Galleries, New York, or Schneider-Gabriel Galleries, New York, probably sold to [2]; Emilie L. Heine, Cincinnati, by at least 1940-1949, given with life interest in 1940 to [3]; Cincinnati Art Museum, 1949-present. Notes: [1] Phoebe and William Randolph Hearst are recorded as former owners in the records of the Schneider-Gabriel Galleries. The archives of the William Randolph Hearst art collection, held at B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library, C. W. Post Campus, Long Island University, did not find any information on the painting's history in the archive of W. R. Hearst's art collection. See Schneider-Gabriel Galleries booklet, no. 2, Heine collection file; Schneider-Gabriel Galleries index card, Schneider-Gabriel Galleries archives, Archives of American Art, Washington D.C.; and correspondence, July 2, 2002. [2] Albert K. Schneider worked as Emilie L. Heine's dealer for many years. He and Gilbert Gabriel worked with John Levy for approximately twenty-five years before opening their own gallery, Schneider-Gabriel Galleries, in 1938. In 1940 Heine gave a collection of paintings to the CAM with life interest reserved. Schneider-Gabriel Galleries was requested by the CAM to send detailed information on the works that Heine acquired through the Schneider-Gabriel Galleries or John Levy Galleries. The provenance information sent by Schneider-Gabriel Galleries does not offer specific dates of sale, nor does it clarify if Heine purchased the paintings from them or from John Levy Galleries. The Schneider-Gabriel Galleries papers at the Archives of American Art include a stockcard for Last Flowers with the inventory number 24987, which corresponds to a marking on the back of the painting. No date of sale is indicated on the stock card and it is unclear if the card is carried over from Schneider's earlier work experience with John Levy Galleries or if Schneider-Gabriel Galleries actually sold the painting to Heine. See: Art Digest, October 1, 1938, p. 11; correspondence, May 25, 1940, July 5, 1940, and October 10, 1949, Heine collection file; Schneider-Gabriel Galleries booklet, no. 2, Heine collection file. [3] Emilie L. Heine, a collector with a penchant for the Barbizon school, began collecting art around 1912 and continued until the mid-1940s. The majority of the paintings were acquired for her Cincinnati home during the 1920s and 1930s, but specific dates of purchase for most are unknown. Heine gave this painting and numerous others to the CAM with life interest reserved in 1940. The Heine collection came to the CAM after her death in 1949.

1940.955