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Dimensions: measurements 38 by 65 1/2 in. alternate measurements (96.5 by 166.4 cm)
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Provenance: Mr. John Shepard, Boston, Massachusetts, by 1888
Sale: Christie's, New York, May 24, 1995, lot 32, illustrated in color
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1995
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Literature: The Boston Post, January 12, 1887
Boston Morning Journal, January 15, 1887
The Boston Post, January 21, 1887, p. 5
The Boston Sunday Herald, January 30, 1887, p. 7
The Boston Sunday Globe, May 15, 1887, p. 13
Frank T. Robinson, Living New England Artists, Boston, Massachusetts, 1888, pp. 87-88
The Boston Evening Transcript, March 29, 1899, p. 16
The Boston Daily Advertiser, March 31, 1899, p. 4
The Boston Evening Transcript, April 1, 1899, p. 7
The Boston Evening Transcript, April 3, 1899, p. 9
William H. Gerdts, Painters of the Humble Truth: Masterpieces of American Still-Life, 1801-1939, Columbia, Missouri, 1981, p. 224, illustrated in color p. 167
Trevor J. Fairbrother, The Bostonians: Painters of an Elegant Age, 1870-1930, Boston, Massachusetts, 1986, p. 48, illustrated
Erica E. Hirshler, Dennis Miller Bunker: American Impressionist, Boston, Massachusetts, 1994, p. 61, illustrated
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Notes: Painted circa 1886.
Because it successfully integrated aspects of both genre and still life, The Chrysanthemum Show was an innovative image for its time. The painting depicts the annual exhibition of chrysanthemums that was held in November 1886 in Boston's Horticutural Hall, which was then located on Tremont Street. In January of 1887 Graves brought the painting to the Boston Art Club for the organization's thirty-fifth annual exhibition. During a preview of the show, Graves realized that his work had been "skied" or placed in the inconsequential area at the top of the wall. Furious, Graves procured a ladder and removed his painting, leaving the empty frame hanging on the wall. He resigned from the club before being expelled for violating the rules about the removal of artwork. Afterward, Graves exhibited his painting at the Cowles Art School where he taught classes. Due to the controversy, the empty frame was one of the most popular attractions at the Boston Art Club's exhibition. The painting itself drew considerable interest and widespread critical praise.
