Description:

William Weeks Hall
American/Louisiana, 1895-1958
"Night Float"
oil on canvas
signed, titled and partial typed label reading "to Arts and Crafts Club,....12 Royal Street....w Orleans...r...les-Gallery Show...om Nov 4th to Dec 4th" on stretcher, 2 label remnants on reverse of frame, framed.

Note: William Weeks Hall was a prominent artist, art critic, photographer, gardener and lecturer, and he was the last private owner of Shadows-on-the-Teche, his family home located on Bayou Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana. Hall won a scholarship in 1913 to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, where he was a student until 1918. He also studied abroad in London and Paris from 1920 to 1922, following his service in World War I. Hall became the sole owner of the Shadows at the age of twenty-five, and the remainder of his life, with only brief interruption, was spent restoring and preserving the property. Shadows-on-the-Teche was built by Hall's great-grandfather, David Weeks, in the 1830s, and Hall used family papers and a complete set of construction records to restore the home to its original appearance, including an extensive period garden. He often invited famous writers, artists and filmmakers for weekend visits to the Shadows, and several movies were filmed on site. When Hall died in 1958, he bequeathed the home to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Hall's coveted paintings are rarely offered at auction, and this work entitled "Night Float" illustrates a nocturne glimpse into Mardi Gras festivities with two riders waving from the platform of a rolling float. Hall depicts the scene with his trademark bold brushstrokes and contrasting colors, filling the canvas with the frenetic energy, chaos and movement of a Mardi Gras parade.

  • Dimensions: 36 x 30 in. (91.4 x 76.2 cm.), Frame: 39 1/4 x 33 1/4 x 1 1/2 in. (99.7 x 84.5 x 3.8 cm.)
  • Medium: oil on canvas
  • Condition: Partial wax reline; multiple small areas of inpainting throughout; surface dirt; toning of the varnish layer; few scattered marks and accretions; craquelure pattern visible throughout; abrasions and small losses along edges from contact with frame; frame has marks, nicks and abrasions.

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November 21, 2025 11:00 AM CST
New Orleans, LA, US

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