John French Sloan — The McSorley’s Bar Paintings

McSorley’s Bar (1912)

John French Sloan, a founding member of the so-called Ashcan School (a term he despised) was a contemporary and friend of another of my favorite painters, Robert Henri.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Sloan was not a quick painter.  Henri once jokingly remarked that ”Sloan” is the past participle of “Slow.”

Sloan is best remembered for his urban genre painting.  A recurrent subject for Sloan was McSorley’s Bar (also known as McSorley’s Old Ale House) located at 15 East 7th Street in Manhattan.  McSorley’s, one of the oldest ale houses in the United States, is still in operation today.  If you’re interested in a visit check out the bar’s website: http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com.

Sloan did at least three paintings of McSorley’s, starting with the aptly titled McSorley’s Bar (above), followed by McSorley’s Back Room (1912) and McSorley’s Saturday Night (1928) (both below).   All three evoke Irish working class life during the first several decades of the 20th Century.  Note that McSorley’s Saturday Night was painted during Prohibition — and that there’s not an empty hand in the house.

McSorley’s Back Room (1912)

McSorley’s Saturday Night (1928)