1837, William Sidney Mount, The Tough Story - Scene in a Country Tavern -- National Gallery of Art (Washington)
From the museum label:
A disheveled figure with knee and head injuries and a crutch sits in a mostly empty tavern. Holding a glass of hard cider, he tells his tale to the tavern keeper, the younger man across from him. Behind them, a third man seems to be listening -- but keeping his distance. A railroad schedule on the wall suggests that the standing figure will soon travel on.
As the artist explained, the older man persists in "entertaining his young landlord with the longest story ... having fairly tired out every other frequenter of the establishment." Mount was a visual storyteller whose keen observations of American life captured the public's imagination.
1837, William Sidney Mount, The Tough Story - Scene in a Country Tavern -- National Gallery of Art (Washington)
From the museum label:
A disheveled figure with knee and head injuries and a crutch sits in a mostly empty tavern. Holding a glass of hard cider, he tells his tale to the tavern keeper, the younger man across from him. Behind them, a third man seems to be listening -- but keeping his distance. A railroad schedule on the wall suggests that the standing figure will soon travel on.
As the artist explained, the older man persists in "entertaining his young landlord with the longest story ... having fairly tired out every other frequenter of the establishment." Mount was a visual storyteller whose keen observations of American life captured the public's imagination.