A brief history of John Singer Sargent’s “Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose”

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose (1885-1886) is an oil on canvas painting by American artist John Singer Sargent.

The painting depicts two small children dressed in a vintage white long dress who are lighting lanterns in a garden with pink roses that seems to be spreading all over the place, with accents of yellow carnations and tall white lilies behind them.

The main objects are the daughter of the illustrator Frederick Barnard – a dear friend of the artist. On the right side is Dolly Barnard (11 years old), while on the left side is Polly Barnard (7 years old).

The inspiration for the unique lighting effect came during Sargent’s trip to River Thames at Pangbourne with his fellow American artist Edwin Austin Abbey in September 1885.

He saw lanterns hanging among trees and lilies during the journey while boating. At that moment, he had this urge to capture the precise light level at dusk, so he painted the picture en plein air – a French term for ‘painting outdoors’ perfectly mixed with an impressionist style.

He would place his easel and other tools beforehand and pose his models in anticipation of the few moments when he could paint it at a perfect time.

From September to November 1885, he painted its artwork in the few minutes when the light began to turn its color – blending in perfectly, catching its delicate shades before the light faded into the evening when the sun started to sets as far to the southwest.

The flowers in the garden seem like it has died and been replaced with artificial flowers as summer has turned into autumn; as expected, something would change when the seasons change. He finished this artwork the following summer at Millet’s new home nearby Broadway by the end of October 1886.

The painting is dominated by green foliage, with no horizon that, in other words, seems to give a sense of depth. Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose is set in an English garden at Farnham House on Broadway in the Cotswolds, where Sargent spent the summer with Francis David Millet around 1885, shortly after moving to England from Paris.