Prayer meeting, second stone

Bellows, George, 1882-1925 · 1916

A testimonial in the church at Monhegan Island, Maine. (Bellows) / While summering in Maine the artist had witnessed a religious service in a small rural meeting house. The stalwart preacher, the prim pianist, and the provincial congregants listen while a true believer gives testimony. Consequently, a satire was recorded in the artist's memory, sketched, and eventually worked onto two lithographic stones. This is a polished version of "Prayer Meeting, First Stone" (M. 13). It is the earliest example in which a lithograph drawn by Bellows is editioned, the image then reversed on another stone, reworked, and re-editioned. The reversal was probably done with the help of a mirror. (Mason)