(Deerfield, Massachusetts, 1822 - 1884, Brookline, Massachusetts)
c. 1860s-1870s
Oil on panel
19 x 14 3/4 in. (48.3 x 37.6 cm)
Collection of the Akron Art Museum
Bequest of Edwin C. Shaw
1955.29
Fuller studied art in both America and Europe but was forced for financial reasons to run his family’s farm in Massachusetts from 1860 to 1875. He likely made this image of a laughing boy during that period when he could escape to his studio only in the winter months and on holidays. The dark background and warm colors of the work are reminiscent of the art of Rembrandt, who was greatly admired by many American painters of this period.