The Voyage of Life: Childhood

c. 1855

James Smillie

Artist, American, born Scotland, 1807 - 1885

John H. Daniels

Printer, American, 1828 - 1901

Benjamin B. Russell

Publisher, American, 1832 - 1901

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving in black on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 38.42 × 57.79 cm (15 1/8 × 22 3/4 in.)
    sheet (trimmed to plate): 50.48 × 67.47 cm (19 7/8 × 26 9/16 in.)

  • Accession

    2015.19.338

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mrs. L. W. Casey; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1930; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Bibliography

1986

  • Schweizer, Paul D. "'So Exquisite a Transcript': James Smillie's Engravings after Cole's Voyage of Life". Imprint 11, no. 2 (Autumn 1986), pp. 2-13.

2017

  • Raftery, Andrew. "James Smillie Engraves a Voyage of Life". Art in Print 7, no. 2 (July-August 2017), pp. 12-18.

Inscriptions

lower left in plate: T Cole;
text at bottom in plate:
Painted by Thomas Cole / Boston - Published by B. B. Russell. 55 Cornhill. / Engraved by James Smillie / The Voyage of Life _ Childhood. / From the original Painting by Thomas Cole, in the possession of Revd. Gorham D. Abbott, Spingler Institute, New York. / "Who shall preserve thee beautiful child? / Keep thee as thou art now / Bring thee a spirit undefiled / At God's pure throne to bow? / This world is but a bruised reed / And life grows early dim / Who shall be near thee in thy need / To lead thee up to him? / He who Himself was undefiled / With Him we trust thee beautiful child." / Proof / "Entered according to Act of Congress U.S.A. _ by James Smillie in the Clerks Office of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York." / Printed by J. H. Daniels, Boston.

Wikidata ID

Q77015126

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