Jehan Georges Vibert

Bernhard Stern, New York (and sold, American Art Association, New York, March 6, 1890, lot 120)  
Max Bleiman, New York (acquired at the above sale)
J.J. Gillespie & Co., Pittsburgh (possibly acquired from the above) 
Acquired from the above through the Prendergast Bequest, 1891

Pittsburgh, Carnegie Library, Dedication Loan Exhibition, 1895, no. 288 (as The New Servant)

"Art Galleries and Societies," American Art Annual, Boston, 1900-1, vol. III, p. 114
Descriptive Catalogue of the Art Gallery of the James Prendergast Library Association, Jamestown, New York, 1906, no. 34 (as The New Servant) 
Katherine E. Manthorne, The Mirror Up to Nature: A Catalogue of 19^th and 20^th Century Paintings in the Collection of The James Prendergast Library Association, Jamestown, New York, 1982, p. 54 (as The New Servant) 

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work is painted on a cradled panel, which is in good condition. The panel is flat and the paint layer is stable. The work is clean and varnished. There are some retouches to the immediate right of the lower legs of the figure. There are also some retouches in the lower right corner, in the lower left, in the window in the upper right, and in the fireplace in the upper left. The work should be hung as is.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Le nouveau commis depicts the arrival of a young clerk, luggage in tow, anxious to be received by his new employer, only to be greeted by a talking magpie. This composition is based on the artist’s larger work of the same name that was exhibited at the Salon of 1877 (fig. 1), and illustrated in Vibert’s La Comédie en Peinture (London, 1902, p. 190).

In March 1890 the present work was sold at the American Art Association to Max Bleiman, a New York dealer with ties to J.J. Gillespie & Co. who, just a few months later, exhibited a number of Vibert's paintings at their Pittsburgh gallery. Vibert’s lively, narrative image would have been an ideal acquisition for Gillespie to recommend to the James Prendergast Library in 1891.