Painting of the Marx Brothers by L. Felder: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Framed oil painting of Chico, Harpo, and Groucho Marx by L. Felder. The Marx Brothers are depicted in their signature costumes seated, from the waist up, on a dark brown background. The canvas is mounted in a light-weight metal frame with gray electrical tape in the back at the corners. The artist's name and address are handwritten on back of canvas. The painting was owned and used by Groucho Marx in his Beverly Hills home from around 1974-1977.

Julius H. "Groucho" Marx (1890-1977) was an influential, popular, and versatile entertainer best known for his film appearances alongside brothers Arthur ("Harpo") and Leonard ("Chico") in the 1930s and 40s. The Marx Brothers, including lesser-known siblings Herbert ("Zeppo") and Milton ("Gummo") began their careers singing and cracking jokes on vaudeville stages across the country in the 1900s. By the 1920s, the Marx Brothers had become the most popular comedians on the Broadway stage, each with a characteristic costume and persona they combined to create antic and zany performances in a series of successful musical comedies. Groucho was known for his signature eyeglasses, greasepaint mustache and eyebrows, and irreverent wisecracks The brothers' films The Coconauts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, Duck Soup, and A Night at the Opera among others, were critical and popular successes. In his later years Groucho was a popular solo radio, television, and film performer, helming the quiz series You Bet Your Life from 1947-1961.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1974
• depicted: Marx, Groucho
• originator (author or composer, etc.): Felder, L.
• depicted: Marx, Chico
• depicted: Marx, Harpo
• maker: Felder, L.
• Object Name: painting
• Physical Description: canvas (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: paint, oil (overall material)
• Physical Description: tape, adhesive (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 24 in x 36 in x 1 in; 60.96 cm x 91.44 cm x 2.54 cm
• location where used: United States: California, Beverly Hills
• general subject association: Motion Pictures
• Subject: Comedy
• Subject: Comedians
• ID Number: 1987.0588.29
• accession number: 1987.0588
• catalog number: 1987.0588.29
• Credit Line: Bequest of Julius H. Marx
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.