(Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) The Awakening
1883-1884
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase and gift from Elizabeth W. Henderson in memory of her husband Francis Tracy Henderson
Accession Number
1978.108.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
Elihu Vedder's *The Awakening* (1883–1884) is a captivating drawing from his renowned series of illustrations for Edward FitzGerald's English translation of the *Rubáiyát of Omarayyám*. This Persian poetry collection, celebrated for its themes of life's fleeting joys, mortality, and spiritual awakening, inspired Vedder—a leading American artist influenced by Pre-Raphaelite andist aesthetics—to create over 50 intricate works for a lavish 1884 edition. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, piece exemplifies Vedder's ability to blend Eastern mysticism with Western romanticism during the ...
About the Artist
Elihu Vedder · 1836–1923
Elihu Vedder was born on February 26, 1836, in New York City to Dr. Elihu Vedder Sr., a dentist, and his cousin Elizabeth Vedder. As a young boy, his family relocated to Cuba for his father's ventures, an experience that sparked his artistic aspirations amid the Caribbean landscapes. He later divided his time between a boarding school and his maternal grandfather Alexander Vedder's home in Schenec...