Playtime
(June, 1910)
Portrait of Frances Terrell at Ten
John Hafen (1856–1910)
Oil on canvas, 44.5 x 33.5 in.
Unsigned
In Hafen’s final months, he shifted focus from landscapes to portraiture, including this tender depiction of ten-year-old Frances Terrell. Frances’ uncle, Dr. John F. Barnhill, a prominent Indianapolis physician and art collector, treated Hafen for a persistent illness in exchange for paintings. During this time, Hafen began Frances’ portrait, capturing her in a moment of play with her doll.
Hafen tragically passed away before completing the final details of the painting, leaving it unsigned. The portrait was mistakenly sent to Utah with his estate, but years later, Dr. Barnhill recovered it and gifted it to Frances, preserving its deeply personal significance.
The painting depicts a young girl, Frances Terrell, seated and engrossed in the act of playing with her doll. She wears a delicate white dress adorned with lace and a coral bead necklace, complemented by a pink ribbon in her hair. Behind her, a vibrant striped textile adds warmth and texture to the scene. The artist captures a quiet, intimate moment of childhood innocence, rendered with soft, realistic brushstrokes and attention to detail. The composition evokes a sense of nostalgia and tenderness.
Provenance
- Frances Terrell (by descent from Dr. John F. & Celeste Barnhill)
- Private Collection, Ohio (by descent to the great-grandson of Frances Terrell)
Quote by John Hafen:
"I am quite busy now having entered quite extensively into portraiture... One of my sitters is a beautiful girl child, who I am painting in the act of playing with a doll."
