Ask the Scholar

Document scope · 2 pages
obj
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory. For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.

Source Description

Baltimore artist Alfred Jacob Miller is known primarily for his paintings of the American West, but his interests extended beyond this subject. A prolific sketcher, he filled many journals with drawings and captions from the time he was studying in Paris and Rome (1833) until the 1870's. The interests of Miller are clearly reflected in these sketches: the theater (a large portion being quick figure drawings of the Ravel Pantomime Troupe), studies of works by the Old Masters, literary illustrations, childhood memories, Baltimore scenery, and witty scenes of characters.Depicted here is one of the original members of the Ravel PantomimeTroupe, a french family that toured America in the middle of the 19th century. The french pantomimes performed in multiple theatres in Baltimore. The shows included tight-rope dancing, ballet, and balancing acts in addition to the pantomime. The plots were so complex they were compared to those of the Italian Opera. As someone who frequented the shows, Miller has provided a view that is almost otherwise unrecorded.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
15902
label
Gabriel Ravel as Babilas
core
obj
dtoType
book
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
15902
contentType
book
stage
normalized
title
Gabriel Ravel as Babilas
description
Baltimore artist Alfred Jacob Miller is known primarily for his paintings of the American West, but his interests extended beyond this subject. A prolific sketcher, he filled many journals with drawings and captions from the time he was studying in Paris and Rome (1833) until the 1870's. The interests of Miller are clearly reflected in these sketches: the theater (a large portion being quick figure drawings of the Ravel Pantomime Troupe), studies of works by the Old Masters, literary illustrations, childhood memories, Baltimore scenery, and witty scenes of characters.Depicted here is one of the original members of the Ravel PantomimeTroupe, a french family that toured America in the middle of the 19th century. The french pantomimes performed in multiple theatres in Baltimore. The shows included tight-rope dancing, ballet, and balancing acts in addition to the pantomime. The plots were so complex they were compared to those of the Italian Opera. As someone who frequented the shows, Miller has provided a view that is almost otherwise unrecorded.
provenance
Owned by Alfred Jacob Miller, Jr.; acquired by Norton Asner, Baltimore, 1959; acquired by The Lisanelly Foundation; given to Walters Art Museum, June 11, 1968.
date
1855-1859
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
albums (books)
watercolors
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
dimensions
units
cm
width
23.2
height
16.8
inscriptions
[Inscription] lower center: Gabriel Ravel as Babilas
med
watercolor on gray paper
cul
creator_ids
4486
collection_ids
EAN
exhibition_ids
none
dimensionsRaw
H: 9 1/8 x W: 6 5/8 in. (23.2 x 16.8 cm)
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
5dcc2bc427a00a7c
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
ac260600c79bcfaa
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no