+ Expand

Description: - oil on canvas26 3/8 x 17 3/8 in. (67 x 44.2 cm.)PROVENANCEJ. N. Bartfield, New YorkFrom childhood, Shinn was fascinated by the circus, magicians, and anything having to do with the stage. His fondness for theatrics remained strong; in fact, later in life, his love for the stage was such that he built a small stage behind his home on Waverly Place. Here, the artist, his wife Flossie, and a group of their friends made up the theatrical troupe, "Waverly Street Players." At their small home theatre, they played out skits and short plays for crowds of as many as 60 people.The Singer, painted in 1902, exhibits the glamour of the spotlight that attracted Shinn to paint and cherish these theatrical subjects, and shows the vibrance and vitality of the New York Vaudeville stage at the turn of the century.