Collecting with Passion
Freeman’s presents single-owner sale of fine and decorative arts from the collection of Mrs. Dorrance “Dodo” H. Hamilton
in the sale draw from.
“She was a much-beloved figure whose name resonates in Philadelphia and far beyond,” says Alasdair Nichol, chairman at Freeman’s.“dodo, as she was known to everyone, left an indelible imprint upon the places she called home through her generous philanthropic acts, which improved and enriched the lives of many.”
Hamilton, as Nichol explains, was not buying in regards to the market trends, but rather she purchased art with her heart.the paintings assembled in this sale show a passion for flowers and birds, as well as her interest in travel and spotlighting places that were important in her life.
One of the hallmarks of the auction is Paul Cézanne’s 1876-77 oil painting La Vie de Champs, which shows life in the fields. Estimated to fetch between $1.2 million and $1.8 million, the piece was originally owned by art dealer Ambroise Vollard, who gave the French master his first exhibition in 1895.The work was passed through a handful of other prominent collectors and dealers before entering the collection of Elinor Dorrance Ingersoll, Hamilton’s mother. Childe Hassam is represented in the sale by two paintings: White Church, Provincetown (est. $250/400,000) and A Walk Around the Island that is estimated at $200,000 to $300,000.There also are two pieces by Daniel Garber crossing the block: Morning Train (est. $200/300,000) from 1924 and the
1919 New Hope scene Water Birch – Springtime (est. $120/180,000).
“They’re both instantly recognizable as works by Garber,” says Nichol. “What’s nice about Morning Train is having the train and seeing smoke come out of it [which is different for Garber]. It also has figures and a nice narrative to it, but it’s a classic view and has a very typical color palette as well.”