Reverse painting on glass mounted in an American Reverse Cove Gold Leaf Picture Frame, is a scene of Fort Washington from the Maryland side of the Potomac River. The moon is shaped from a piece of Mother of Pearl. The Fort served as one of the points of defense for Washington D.C. during the Civil War.
Reverse painting on glass mounted in an American 1850 Sully Gambose Picture Frame, is a scene of two houses in a rural setting near a meandering river with two people in a small boat and a sail boat down stream. The white facades of the houses are Mother of Pearl.
A: Watercolor on wove paper of J. Crump Tannery, Marietta, Pa, depicting a panoramic view of the Klumpp Tannery and residence, viewed from Front St. The white 2-story frame house with one-story addition is in the foreground on the left with a man and woman by the front door. The tannery complex with smokestack is on the right, set further back from the street with the tanning operation underway. A man in a small horse-drawn carriage is in the street in the front and a boy chasing 2 chickens is in the yard between the house and tannery. A brick church is in the background center.
John C. Klumpp's Tannery was built by P. Moyer on Locust Street between 2nd St. (now E. Market) and Prospect Alley in 1815. Klumpp acquired the tannery in 1874 and operated it until his death in 1901. The tannery occupied lots 69-70-71-72, Strawberry Alley ran beside the Klumpp residence on the left. To the rear of the dwelling, behind the fence can be the kitchen garden and outhouse.
Signed bottom left, in ink, "P. Meissner./18/1/76."
2 photographs of tannery:
B: Black and white photo showing roughly the same view as A, although closer to ground level. The house is on the left and the tannery on the right. At least five people are sitting/standing on the porch of the house facing the yard. The buildings appear mostly unchanged from the watercolor. The date "1908" is written in the lower left corner in ink.
C: Black and whit photo of the tannery from the back. Four separate buildings of varying design can be seen in a row, with the smokestack extending up out of frame slightly right of center. A stone bridge over a creek is at extreme right, with creek running around the buildings to the left. The date "1929" is written in the lower left corner in blue ink.
The photographs appear to be photographic copies of the originals. They were attached to the paper backing covering the frame of the watercolor.
A: watercolor has brown staining all over, especially apparent in the sky. Further discoloration along the top edge. The pieces was cleaned (dry and wet), mended, and flattened by the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia in 1991.
B,C: Photos. B is browned and faded at the edges and curves inward. Both B and C have tape and backing residue on the reverse. They were dry cleaned, mended and flattened by the CCAJA in 1991. Further details available in file.
Oil on canvas of Christian Herr House (often called the Hans Herr House) with a man and a woman in front. Green hues with glossy finish. Three quarter inch wooden frame with rounded outer edge and lower inner border. Painted gold with recessed markings in a darker color.
Inscription: Signed lower right: "17-CHHR-19 Lancaster, H.P. Palmer 1926." Sticker on paper back: " Hans Herr House painted by H. P. Palmer" Below is label: "Christian Herr House Built 1719 Oldest house in our county"
On back of canvas on pencil script: "Hans Herr House 1719 Willow Street, Lancaster County Pa H.P. Palmer July , 1926"
VAP update: paper backing is loose in places and has acidified. Paper tape from previous repair has loosened. Behind is early 20th century calendar art of woman, dog and child in lamplight
VAP update: 9/1/2015 acidic backing replaced with acid free board. Original backings can be found in object file.
The Japanese Kimono (has been listed as "Japanese Print")
Description
Large oil on canvas painting of a seated woman wearing a Japanese kimono, according to the title. The subject is Helen Thurlow, a Lancaster/Greenwich Village-based Pa. Academy of Fine Arts-trained artist & illustrator.
On back: Signed at upper right corner; 2 provenance show labels/stickers from Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh
Survey done by Tom Ryan and Mike Heberlein states:
Painting: Signed upper right A. Traquair Lang, Auction #124 at lower right. Good condition (Note: Found on 06-28-17, a large 2" long puncture tear to right of subject's face.) Surface dirt, discolored varnish, minor cracking of paint (center right, center area of kimono).
Frame: Fair, minor scuffing throughout, painted gold.
Frame conservation needs: Minor touchup throughout.
Object ID
1951.013
Notes
All info via correspondence w/ writer/researcher Eve Kahn
This painting was exhibited in various shows, including the 1915 Panama-Pacific expo in California. It is pictured in a centennial book on p. 24 installed on gallery #65 wall and flanked by two more of her ptgs. See:
See Objects Photos for above image (in 1915 expo).
Subject Helen A. Thurlow (1889- ?) was the daughter of Thomas and Annie Thurlow of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, from 1904-1912, where Thomas Anshutz was head instructor. He painted her portrait, seated sideways, and the portrait is thought to be during Ms. Thurlow's student years. See:
Portrait of Helen Thurlow, pastel on canvas, c. 1910 by Thos. Anschutz
(Portrait sold by Hammer Galleries, NY, NY.)
Annie T. Lang was painted by her mentor William Merritt Chase in 1911. This O/C ptg. is owned by the PMA & has accession # 1928-63-4. The label reads:
"William Merritt Chase was an early pioneer of Impressionist aesthetics in the United States and enjoyed immense popularity during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A celebrated teacher, Chase likely first met his protégée Annie Lang (1885-1918) in 1901 when she enrolled in one of his annual summer schools on Long Island. Painted in the summer of 1911 outside Florence, Italy, while Chase was on one of his many extended sojourns in Europe, this portrait of Lang suggests the close, perhaps intimate, relationship between the two artists. The painting incorporates the rich fabrics, ornate décor, and elegant attire that characterize Chase's interior scenes".
