Elsie Speicher [verso]
1920
![Elsie Speicher [verso] by George Bellows](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/elsie-speicher-verso-nga-50669.webp)
Medium
graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 45.56 × 28.26 cm (17 15/16 × 11 1/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Chester Dale Collection
Accession Number
1966.4.4.b
Art Historical Context
George Bellows, a leading figure in early 20th-century American Realism and the Ashcan School, captured the vitality of modern life through his bold urban scenes, sports imagery, and intimate portraits. Created in 1920, *Elsie Speicher [o]* is a graphite drawing on the reverse side of a sheet of wove paper, showcasing Bellows' late-career mastery just five years before his untimely death in 1925. Elsie Speicher, wife of fellow artist Eugene Speicher and a frequent muse in artistic circles, likely posed for this sensitive study, reflecting Bellows' shift toward more personal, expressive works a...
About the Artist
George Bellows
George Wesley Bellows was born on August 12, 1882, in Columbus, Ohio, the only child of building contractor George Bellows Sr. and Anna Smith Bellows, with an older half-sister, Laura. A talented athlete who excelled in baseball and basketball at Ohio State University from 1901 to 1904, Bellows illustrated for the school yearbook before rejecting a professional baseball contract to pursue art. In ...