Quick Reference
1941
Deerfield, MA
Oil on Canvas
Landscape
Houses, Trees?
Unknown
Williston Academy, 1941
Unknown
NA
Featured Artwork: The Little Brown House, Deerfield, MA
RSW's Diary Comments
There are no dairy remarks for this painting.
Editor's Note:
Because there are no diary remarks for this painting we do not know if this piece features just the house or if it is like the other paintings featuring both the enormous "Hitchcock Elm" tree and the house from a different perspective. The artsit painted as many as three or four versions of this scene... all different in subtle ways, particularly the shade cast down on the roof and road.
The Little Brown House
Photograph of the Elm tree and House from
around the time Woodward painted it. This is the
classic north window much desired by artist for
its neutral and most natural light source.
The house seen in this painting was built in 1783, on a tract of land that in 1686 was designated as Deerfield communial land until 1759 and is affectionately
referred to as "The Little Brown House" on Albany Road in Old Deerfield near the Academy. By the 1880's and '90's the house was in terrible condition.
In 1890, George Sheldon a 'Preservationist' and founder of the Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association (1870), one of the first preservation societies in the country wrote and published a book on the home's history and restoration titled
The Little Brown House on Albany Road.
The Elm Tree along the house derives its name from the numerous 'Hitchcocks' that lived there throughout its history, the most prominent being Edward Hitchcock who taught at the Deerfield Academy, rising to become its principal (1815-18) and then on to teach at and become the president of Amherst College in 1845. The bookstore at the academy is named after him.
"The Little Brown House" also served as the studio of George Fuller (1822 - 1884), an American figure and portrait painter. As can be seen
from the photograph to the right, one of the more impressive features of "The Little Brown House" was its large east facing window which could serve as a great 'artist window.'
"The Little Brown House" from the front
For more about Deerfield artist George Fuller you have two options, first there is this link to the, Nation Gallery of Art profile
or you can view this link to Wikipedia: George Fuller (painter)
One can read The Little Brown House on Albany Road in its entirety on this link to the
Smithsonian Library website.
Woodward painted the house and elm tree two other times, please see Hitchcock Elm and
Out of the Past for more