Bargaining (The Christmas Turkey)

ca. 1858

Oil on canvas

Overall: 16 1/2 x 23 3/8 in. ( 41.9 x 59.4 cm )
Framed: 25 in. × 31 1/2 in. × 4 3/4 in. (63.5 × 80 × 12.1 cm)

The Robert L. Stuart Collection, the gift of his widow Mrs. Mary Stuart

S-50

Comic depictions of canny citizens trying to get the better of each other were commonly associated with the stereotype of Yankee opportunism. However, in Bargaining the old woman’s careful deliberations over the purchase of the bird mirror the financial anxiety that followed the Panic of 1857. As she adjusts her glasses to get a better look at the fowl, she grips a small pouch containing what can be imagined is the full extent of her limited funds. Although the salesman leans forward to display his merchandise, he does not evince the cunningness usually associated with cutthroat Yankee dealing. This painting, in addition to Pan of Milk and The Wind-Mill were on view at the National Academy of Design in 1858.

SignedSigned at lower left: "F. W. Edmonds"

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