The Hippodrome, London

A souvenir of Everett Shinn’s only trip to Europe, The Hippodrome, London is apparently the first oil painting devoted to what would become the artist’s signature subject: popular entertainments such as the circus, vaudeville, and the theater. Shinn’s choice of subject matter and idiosyncratic perspective correspond to French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works by artists like Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and also reflect his own theatrical interests and early career as an illustrator for periodicals. The Hippodrome opened in London in January 1900 as a circus and was transformed into a music hall a decade later; it is likely that Shinn attended a performance there during the venue’s first year.

Credit: Friends of American Art Collection; Goodman Fund