A Graduate of Pomona
A6 The lower portion of William Henry Hunt's Blowing Bubbles
An obvious indication that this is the authentic version of Hunt's 1835 watercolor of a boy blowing bubbles is the presence of a signature and date on the superior image. But Hunt's signature is often added to watercolors, including pictures that have absolutely no resemblance to Hunt's work. This signature and date, however, are perfectly consistent with those which appear on a number of authentic Hunt watercolors from about 1827 until 1838. The signature and date are small, painted with a fine brush, and positioned rather inconspicuously at a bottom corner of the watercolor. Since it is on the right in this example, the artist slants his letters and numbers to the left, almost as if they are positioned in perspective. The form of the signature, W. HUNT in all capital letters and with a period at the end, is of the type Hunt routinely used from the mid 1820s until his death. Hunt dated some, but not all, of his watercolors from 1824 through 1839 and a few from the 1860s -- he virtually never dated anything he painted in the 1840s and 1850s. Since this signature and date are exactly as one would expect from Hunt, their presence greatly support the conclusion that this is an authentic watercolor by Hunt.
The mere absence of a signature or date on the copy would not be determinative if no other version which bears an authentic signature and date were not known to exist. But the absence on a copy of such a known work is basically conclusive proof that we are dealing with an inauthentic copy.
The foreshortening of the boy's left shoe and the more accurately observed details of both shoes supports the conclsion that this is the sole authentic version by Hunt.
A6 The lower portion of William Henry Hunt's Blowing Bubbles
An obvious indication that this is the authentic version of Hunt's 1835 watercolor of a boy blowing bubbles is the presence of a signature and date on the superior image. But Hunt's signature is often added to watercolors, including pictures that have absolutely no resemblance to Hunt's work. This signature and date, however, are perfectly consistent with those which appear on a number of authentic Hunt watercolors from about 1827 until 1838. The signature and date are small, painted with a fine brush, and positioned rather inconspicuously at a bottom corner of the watercolor. Since it is on the right in this example, the artist slants his letters and numbers to the left, almost as if they are positioned in perspective. The form of the signature, W. HUNT in all capital letters and with a period at the end, is of the type Hunt routinely used from the mid 1820s until his death. Hunt dated some, but not all, of his watercolors from 1824 through 1839 and a few from the 1860s -- he virtually never dated anything he painted in the 1840s and 1850s. Since this signature and date are exactly as one would expect from Hunt, their presence greatly support the conclusion that this is an authentic watercolor by Hunt.
The mere absence of a signature or date on the copy would not be determinative if no other version which bears an authentic signature and date were not known to exist. But the absence on a copy of such a known work is basically conclusive proof that we are dealing with an inauthentic copy.
The foreshortening of the boy's left shoe and the more accurately observed details of both shoes supports the conclsion that this is the sole authentic version by Hunt.