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Millais, John Everett, 1829-1896, artist. Preliminary pencil study for his composition entitled "The last trek"

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

Object Details

General note
Charcoal on brown artist's board. Inscribed "To my son John, J. E. Millais, July 5 '95" in the lower right hand corner. Dimensions of the two items: 1. 15. 75 x 12. 75 in. (art), 23. 5 x 21. 25 in. (frame). 2. 11. 5 x 15. 25 in. (art), 23. 5 x 21. 25 in. (frame).
Collection Creator
Train, Russell E., 1920-2012
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries)
See more items in
Russell E. Train Africana collection
Russell E. Train Africana collection / Series 2: Works of Art
Extent
2 Items (Works of art, 15.75 x 12.75 in., or smaller (art), 23.5 x 21.25 in. (frame))
Date
1829 - 1896
Container
Item Art035
Archival Repository
Smithsonian Libraries
Type
Archival materials
Collection Rights
The collection is housed in the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, which is open to researchers Monday through Friday in the afternoons, from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m.; morning visits are by appointment only. Please call (202) 633-1184 or email AskaLibrarian@si.edu for an appointment.
Scope and Contents note
The finished drawing appeared in A breath from the Veldt, depicting two Africans squatting on the ground beside a recumbent figure, with another study of the same two figures and a subsidiary study of zebras or antelopes. Sir John Millais drew the final version of "The last trek" for the frontispiece of his son's book A breath from the Veldt, 1895. Upon publication it was acclaimed by The Daily telegraph as "perhaps the most beautiful illustration connected with South African art." Another preliminary study appears in J.G.Millais' biography of his father, Vol. II, page299. Millais contemplated a full oil painting of the subject just before he died. As his son recounted (Vol. II, page 333): "As I write, the last morning he spent in his beloved studio comes back vividly to my mind. I had long wanted him to paint 'The last trek', a drawing of which he had kindly supplied as frontispiece to my book A breath from the Veldt and Mr. Briton Riviere had also urged him to do so; and now pointing to a large white canvas which stood on one of the easels he whispered, 'Well, Johnnie, you see I have got the canvas at last, and I am really, going to begin 'The last trek' today.' .... An hour later he felt so extremely unwell that he retired to his own room downstairs, closing the studio door behind him for the last time. He had commenced, though he knew it not, 'The last trek.'"
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1503510890585-1503510890665-4
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sc2abd3f410-5a6f-48c1-99dd-123adc0b5e4c

Related Content

  • Russell E. Train Africana collection

Millais, John Everett, 1829-1896, artist. Preliminary pencil study for his composition entitled "The last trek"
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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