Study for The Birth of the Flag, 1907–11, oil on canvas, Gift of Henry M. Marx in memory of Agnes Mosler Marx, 1976.1020

Verbal Description

Hello, my name is Rick Young. I am a Gallery Attendant at the museum. I will be reading the verbal description for Study for The Birth of the Flag, a late work in Henry Mosler Behind the Scenes: In Celebration of the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial.

Study for The Birth of the Flag is from between 1907 and 1911 and is an oil sketch on canvas. It was a gift of Henry M. Marx in memory of Agnes Mosler Marx. The accession number is 1976.1020

This painting, Study for The Birth of the Flag, measures 8 and 3/8 inches by 11 and 7/16 inches. In this landscape-oriented work, we see the interior of what appears to be a living room. The painting is very sketchy, so the figures are not well-defined. In the background and to the left is a fireplace with mantel, and to the right is a doorway. In the center of the work is a grouping of four women, one seated in a chair, the others sitting on the floor and arranged around her. The woman in the chair holds up what appears to be an American flag on which the other women are sewing. The figures wear dresses of yellow, blue, pink, and perhaps dark green or black. They all wear white caps. To the right of the figure holding the flag is a window with what appears to be a vase of red and pink flowers and perhaps a work basket on the window sill. The artist’s signature is visible in the lower right corner of the painting.

Label Text

Hello, my name is Rick Young. I am a Gallery Attendant at the museum. I will be reading the label for Study for The Birth of the Flag, a late work in Henry Mosler Behind the Scenes: In Celebration of the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial.

Study for The Birth of the Flag is from between 1907 and 1911 and is an oil sketch on canvas. It was a gift of Henry M. Marx in memory of Agnes Mosler Marx. The accession number is 1976.1020

After his return to the United States in 1894, Mosler lost some of his enthusiasm for portraying life in Europe. He embarked on a new series of paintings depicting iconic subjects from American history. Some of these imagine life in the home in the eighteenth century. Mosler took advantage of the so-called Colonial Revival, a patriotic zeal for early American objects, interiors, and themes. In 1913, a magazine editor noted.

Three years ago Mr. Mosler finished his painting of Betsy Ross and her companions making the first flag, which is reproduced in this number of The Mentor. Mr. Mosler based his work on careful sketches made in the Betsy Ross house on Arch Street, Philadelphia. Our readers will surely feel the grace and charm as well as the vital interest of this picture.

The Birth of the Flag, 1912, oil on canvas, Georgetown University Art Collection, Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Washington, DC, Gift of W. H. Walters, 1962.1.3

Back to the Audio Tour