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The Old Market, Cleveland
by Frank Wilcox
About the Artwork
By the time he created this work, Frank Wilcox had visited Europe twice and likely observed similarities between its markets and Cleveland’s own. The historical feel was a strength for attracting immigrants to the city, as it reminded European emigrants of their homelands. The dappled light and airy interior of the market pictured here present Cleveland as a small, homey town rather than the industrial center that it was becoming. The favorable impression of the market may have been an idealization: aside from the new West Side Market, most “old” markets in Cleveland were notoriously crowded and lacked upkeep.
Inscriptions
Signed, in blue paint, at bottom right: --Frank Wilcox—
Provenance
1920: Studio of the artist, Cleveland, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1920-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
The May Show: 2nd Annual Exhibition of Works by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 4-June 27, 1920). Retrospective Twenty-fifth Anniversary May Show. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 13-February 14, 1943). May Show Retrospective - 50 Years. The Cleveland Museum of Art (April 23-June 16, 1968). A Study in Regional Taste: May Show 1919 - 1975. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 13-August 21, 1977). Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991). Transformations in Cleveland Art, 1796-1946. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 19-July 21, 1996).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Frank Wilcox (American, 1887–1964)
- Date
- 1920
- Medium
- gouache
- Dimensions
- Overall: 73 x 57.8 cm (28 3/4 x 22 3/4 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- Purchased with funds given by friends of the May Show
- Accession no.
- 1920.279
More by Frank Wilcox 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-00011047
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