The Hippodrome, London

Everett ShinnWW-1902-132962

1902·Oil on canvas·66.9 × 89.4 cm (26 5/16 × 35 3/16 in.)

<p>A souvenir of Everett Shinn’s only trip to Europe, <em>The Hippodrome, London</em> is apparently the first oil painting devoted to what would become the artist’s signature subject: popular entertainments such as the circus, vaudeville, and the theater. Shinn’s choice of subject matter and idiosyncratic perspective correspond to French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works by artists like Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and also reflect his own theatrical interests and early career as an illustrator for periodicals. The Hippodrome opened in London in January 1900 as a circus and was transformed into a music hall a decade later; it is likely that Shinn attended a performance there during the venue’s first year.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1902
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 66.9 × 89.4 cm (26 5/16 × 35 3/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Everett Shinn

Artist

Everett Shinn

Painting

Everett Shinn was an American painter and illustrator known for urban scenes and theatrical subjects executed in pastel, oil, and ink. Active in the early twentieth century, he documented street life, vaudeville performers, and intimate interior moments with a loose, gestural approach influenced by both Impressionism and the graphic tradition of newspaper illustration. He worked across multiple media including murals and stage design.

Woodstown, NJ, USA

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