In 1966, Ruth Woods Dayton gifted her collection of more than 200 works of art, including 80 paintings, to the Huntington Museum of Art in West Virginia. The collection was assembled by Dayton and her husband, Arthur Spencer Dayton, and began in 1916 when they received Munich Landscape, by Ross Sterling Turner, as a wedding present. Many of the works are modest in size, but include some of the biggest names in 19th- and 20th-century American art, as well as superlative European examples.
Childe Hassam (1859-1935), Lincoln’s Birthday Flags, 1918. Oil on canvas. Gift of Ruth Woods Dayton, 1967.1.122. Photos by John Spurlock.
The Daytons were collectors of their time, acquiring pieces while the artists were working and many have letters from dealers and artists to show the provenance. Through August 22, the Huntington will present The Daywood Collection, a new showcase of works from the collection. A primary focus of the exhibition will be the prints and drawings that include Old Masters, such as Rembrandt, as well as examples by John Singer Sargent, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Martin Lewis and Thomas Wilmer Dewing. Because of the fragility of works on paper, many of them rotate in and out of view, so it is a treat for collectors to see pieces that have not been shown in quite some time.
Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), Young Fisherman in a Dory, 1936. Watercolor on paper. Gift of Ruth Woods Dayton, 1967.1.273
Edward Hopper (1882-1967), Bob Slater’s Hill, 1938. Watercolor. Gift of Ruth Woods Dayton, 1967.1.132
Andrew Wyeth is represented in the collection by three watercolors, including the 1936 work Young Fisherman in a Dory. “Wyeth was a brand-new young artist in his 20s [when they first bought his work],” says the museum’s executive director Geoffrey K. Fleming. “There’s a letter in our collection from Wyeth thanking them for buying works at his show.”
One of Childe Hassam’s flag paintings, Lincoln’s Birthday Flags, 1918, is also in the group and will be on view for the show. “The Daytons knew of its existence and had collected a number of works by Hassam. They reached out and tried to make a deal for the painting, but they didn’t want to pay cash and instead trade,” explains Fleming. “But, Hassam didn’t want to trade back because he didn’t do that and he had a peculiar attraction to this particular flag painting. He wasn’t going to give it up easily.” The Daytons chased the work for three years, before closing a deal with Hassam’s widow.
Frank W. Benson (1862-1951), The Watcher, 1921. Oil on canvas. Gift of Ruth Woods Dayton, 1967.1.13
There are several other notable pieces to be seen, including Edward Hopper’s Bob Slater’s Hill, which is from the artist’s series of works depicting views from hotel windows, and Frank W. Benson’s The Watcher, 1921, which Mr. Dayton won in a raffle. “He bought a $5 raffle ticket and won the piece,” says Fleming. “It’s a spectacular work. They corresponded with Benson about it, and Benson commented that he loathed giving it up, because it was of one of his daughters.”
Fleming adds, “The Daywood collection is ever-popular because the quality is so good. It’s funny, because the Daytons were people who lived to get a bargain, but they weren’t willing to settle for lower quality works. That’s why they often hunted things down and filled the niches of their collection.” —
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