Talk:A Boy with a Flying Squirrel/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Amitchell125 (talk · contribs) 07:32, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

Happy to review the article.

Review

Lead section/infobox

• The lead section needs to be expanded so that it summarises more of the information in the article. Y

• Expanded to some 140 words. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:27, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

• Unlink London (here and elsewhere in the article (see MOS:OL). Y
• Link exhibition. Y

• I fail to see how the word "exhibition" is not MOS:OL. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:35, 27 June 2021 (UTC)

Happy to concur. AM

• Link oil (Oil painting), in the infobox. Y

1 Background

• I would link Copley the first time he is mentioned in the main article (named in full, see MOS:DUPLINK, as information in the lead section should also appear in the main article. Y

• Sorry, didn't catch the "name in full" part. Done. --GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 15:22, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

• The painting is known by more that one name (e.g. see Ref 2 (Roberts 2007)), and I think this is worth noting. Y
• I’m not sure motifs is needed, the sentence seems to make sense without the term. Y
• Link portraitist (Portrait); squirrels. Y

2 Description

• Link flying squirrel; mahogany; membrane (Patagium). Y
• a symbol for patience and perseverance – Roberts (2007) adds “as well as the proper Lockean education of the sitter, whose refinement was indicated by his or her successful domestication of the wild creature”.

• @Amitchell125: I omitted the "Lockean education" aspect since I feel it would be going on quite an irrelevant tangent to explain what exactly "Lockean education" means to unfamiliar readers (and to be honest, I don't really understand what it is either). I did include the refinement/civilizing part though in Background. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 18:16, 29 June 2021 (UTC)

GeneralPoxter Yep, I guessed that, no worries as far as I'm concerned. Amitchell125 (talk) 18:27, 29 June 2021 (UTC)

• Roberts (2014) p. 16 – no mention of her (unorthodox?) view of the work as a marine painting. Y

• Um, this seems to be a rather odd analogy, which I think is really meant to emphasize the "transportation" aspect of the painting, which is already summarized/covered in the History section. I feel like this is best left out as it seems more of an interesting device Roberts uses to support her analysis. Besides, Roberts clarifies that she didn't really mean the painting to be a "maritime" painting in the sense that it depicts seascapes or ships, but I still see the potential for confusion if incorporated in the article. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:27, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

Understood. AM

• Roberts (2007) - "is the only single-sitter profile painting he produced in America". It looks as if Roberts’ articles need to be checked through for further information.

• Added to the Significance section GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:27, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

More comments to follow. Amitchell125 (talk) 15:14, 27 June 2021 (UTC)

3.1 Transatlantic crossing

• Link pastels (Pastel). Y
• mercantile aesthetic negotiators – is this an actual term used in the literature, or just a term coined by Roberts? Y

• This is the term used by Roberts. I'm not really sure what this is equivalent to in common parlance. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:35, 27 June 2021 (UTC)

I strongly suspect there isn't one, and don't see why a team of mercantile aesthetic negotiators shouldn't be simplified to 'a team'. Amitchell125 (talk) 06:15, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

All right, done. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 15:25, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

3.2 Reception

• Link exhibition. Y

• See above GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:35, 27 June 2021 (UTC)

Understood. AM

• one of Copley's most significant works – some editors avoid significant as it’s often unclear if anything is being signified. Is there a better word that could be used? Y

• I guess "important" works (which is what I substituted for now), since it doesn't suggest anything being signified, but Wilmerding uses the phrase "significant milestone" in his assessment of the painting. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:27, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

It looks better now, thanks for replacing an ambiguous term. AM

• Who was William Dunlap? Y
• Who was Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin (and would Samuel Benjamin suffice)? Y

• Rebora et al. refers to him as S.G.W. Benjamin, so I'll use that as well. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:27, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

• Henry Theodore Tuckerman – amend to 'Tuckerman' (full names are not included twice in articles). Y
• Barratt, Carrie Rebora; Staiti, Paul (1995) says other parallels were made with Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin’s works (on p. 218). Other details about the painting from this page seem not to have been included in the article. See also other pages, e.g. p. 64 (on the use of squirrels as boys’ pets). Y
• I’m unsure (and other readers may not be sure) what a European devotional picture is. Could some clarification be provided? Y

• I linked it "devotional picture" to Christian art, which should hopefully clear things up. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:35, 27 June 2021 (UTC)

3.3 Significance

• Roberts (2007) says "The transatlantic triumph of Boy with a Squirrel has long served as an originary episode in histories of American Art." and "the tale of its passage has frequently anchored broader comparative studies attempting to discover emerging distinctions between American and European art." I would include such details. Y

3.4 Provenance and exhibition

• Unlink Washington, D.C.. Y

Whoops, struck that by accident. Done now. --GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 15:22, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

4 References

• Ref 1 is taken from this, so I would replace the source. Y
• As there are only a few sources listed, I would simplify this section by combining the book and journal sources into one alphabetical list, and putting the online sources into the references section. Y
• Bayley – there is (imo) a better url available at: https://archive.org/details/lifeworksofjohns00bayl/page/n8/mode/2up. Y

• Yes, archive.org is generally a more stable source than google books. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:35, 27 June 2021 (UTC)

5 External links

• Check the author list for Barratt, Carrie Rebora; Staiti, Paul is complete, as it seems not to be. Y

Final comment

• Further reading or inclusion in the article? Y

1. Prown - https://archive.org/details/artasevidencewri0000prow/page/156/mode/2up?q=squirrel
2. Massachusetts Historical Society - https://archive.org/details/lettersandpaper00pelhgoog/page/n74/mode/2up?q=squirrel

On hold

I'm putting the article on hold for a week until 5 July to allow time for the issues raised to be addressed. An interesting read! Regards, Amitchell125 (talk) 15:31, 27 June 2021 (UTC)

@Amitchell125: Thanks for your thorough GAC review! I did my best to address your comments, and please let me know if there's more I can do. GeneralPoxter (talk • contribs) 22:27, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

Passing now, as the article is in good shape. Well done! Amitchell125 (talk) 17:52, 29 June 2021 (UTC)