Photographs of the sites that Hopper painted demonstrate just how realistic that his compositions were. But they also reveal the freedom which he exercised as he subtly changed the compositional organization to better suit his purpose. To understand Hopper is to understand the places that attracted him. Whether he was on foot or in his automobile, he constancy made miniature sketches of his works. The locations of these projects were recorded by his wife Josephine, although the exact house or site was usually vague. Dilemmas in finding these areas were compounded by building additions to the original structure, absence of or overgrown shrubbery or just simply that the building had been torn down. However, many places that Hopper painted have survived and the resemblance to the original photograph is remarkable down to the tiniest detail. In Paris, the building i-in which he lived and in Mexico, the Hotel Arizpe Sainz where he stayed, along with the E1 Palacio cinema, the architecture, and the mountain views all remain unchanged. Just north of Nyack, New York, is a Second Empire style house that clearly resembles that in
House by the Railroad
and one can feel relatively comfortable that the following examples are accurately identified as a result of the comprehensive note taking of Josephine Hopper.
Page 1 Libby’s House, 1927
Page 1 Prospect Street, Gloucester, 1928
Page 1 Rooms for Tourists, 1945
Page 2 Photograph, 1985
Page 2 Photograph, 1985
Page 2 Photograph, 1985
These paintings offer an insight into the tremendous talent that Hopper possessed and his ability to depict his surroundings from his artistic vantage point. He has done his job well, as Crane suggests, by leaving pictures of his own time as they appeared to him.
(figures available in print form)