In 1890, John La Farge (1835–1910) and his friend the historian Henry Adams embarked on a journey to the islands of the South Pacific—Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, Rarotonga, Fiji, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)—a journey that would keep them away from their homes for well over a year. John La Farge’s Second Paradise: Voyages in the South Seas, 1890–1891 showcases many of the most important La Farge oils, watercolors, and sketches from that trip—some executed on site, others upon La Farge’s return to his home studio. The exhibition is inspired by the Yale University Art Gallery’s acquisition of 11 previously unknown sketchbooks from the trip—also on display in the exhibition—filled with drawings of people and landscapes, as well as copious notes on culture and language, providing new insight into this period in La Farge’s career.
Past exhibition
Exhibition: John La Farge's Second Paradise: Voyages in the South Seas, 1890–1891
Exhibition and publication organized by Elisabeth Hodermarsky, the Sutphin Family Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, Yale University Art Gallery. Made possible by a grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art; Katherine D. and Stephen C. Sherrill, B.A. 1975 (Phillips Academy 1971); Denise Bouché Fitch in memory of George Hopper Fitch, B.A. 1932; Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Sutphin, B.A. 1981; and Mr. and Mrs. James E. Duffy, B.S. 1951, with additional support provided by an endowment created with a challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.