Public data from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Learn more
About the Artwork
Eastman Johnson portrayed Genio Scott (1806–1879) as a gentleman of means wearing an informal, yet stylish robe in his New York residence. Scott had a successful career as a women’s fashion illustrator and magazine publisher, but his true passion was fly-fishing. Details reveal his attachment to the sport: two fishing poles lean on the wall; three tied flies lie on the table; a fourth is held in his hand, ready to be placed in his leather-bound fishing wallet. During his lifetime, Scott witnessed the decline of American fish species, a loss largely attributed to the dumping of industrial pollutants into waterways. In his contributions to sporting magazines, he protested this environmental degradation and advocated for measures to revitalize diminishing populations.
Inscriptions
Signed lower left: "E. Johnson / 1859"
Provenance
Family of the sitter until 1965; Mr. and Mrs. Edward L. Booth, Delmar, NY; (Vose Gallery, Boston)
Exhibition history
Golden Anniversary of Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10-October 16, 1966). Cleveland Collects American Art of the Gilded Age. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 23-May 18, 2003).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Eastman Johnson (American, 1824–1906)
- Date
- 1859
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Unframed: 102.3 x 127 cm (40 1/4 x 50 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- American Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
- Accession no.
- 1965.475
More by Eastman Johnson in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009405
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