In a press release issued last week, the Edward Hopper House announced that it will be receiving over 1,000 artifacts and memorabilia documenting Edward Hopper’s family life and early years. The collection “consists of juvenilia and other materials from the formative years of Hopper’s life and includes original letters, drawings from his school years … photographs, original newspaper articles, and other items that allow visitors to experience firsthand how Hopper’s childhood and home environment shaped his art.”
Above you can find Exhibit A from the collection. A picture that young Hopper, only 9 years old, drew on the back of his 3rd grade report card. A sure early sign of his talents.
Portions of this archive will be available for viewing this fall. If you’re in Nyack, New York, pay the Edward Hopper House a visit.
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I’m curious to know what his grades were on that report card. I’m guessing not good.
Well if this was really when he was 9, he should get an A for penmanship! Best name-writing of any child I’ve seen.
This is staggering. Look at the proportion of that figure! The perspective and composition are amazing. What gets me more than anything is that the haunting isolation and loneliness of the mature work is already in full bloom at nine years of age… how painful is that?
Prescient is the word for me.
Beautiful drawing on the back of his 3rd grade report card. But did he draw it in 3rd grade-the signature seems oddly adult. No
The artwork can be so deceptively minipulating…..
There’s no way that was sketched by a nine year old. Perhaps Hopper did the sketch as an adult and just used the back of his old report card to do so. Not only is the sketch well above even a talented nine year old’s ability but no child signs his art work with his last name. He would have signed it with his first name in big letters. That being said, even if it was signed, “Eddie” I wouldn’t believe a 9 year old sketched it.