PoaB

In the Carnegie Museum of Art. Oil on canvas. H=59 3/4 x W=56 inches.The boy in the portrait, Homer, was noted to be bored and figiting during the painting period. According to Homer, when he was older, his mother, Augusta was attempting to entertain him by telling a story of a naval battle from the War of 1812. During this time children were painted again and again because they were said to be the direct link to the future. "...Sargent approached his youthful sitters directly, painting them naturalistically and with a keen, psychologically penetrating eye."  (http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/downloads/pdfs/Resource_Guide_Chapters/PictAmer_Resource_Book_Chapter_12A.pdf)