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"Harness Racer at Belmont Park 1884, Philadelphia" by Agustus Kollner

About the Item

Watercolor on paper, signed lower right Agustus Knoller and dated 1884. Inscribed on the reverse in pencil "This trotting came off Aug 15th 1884 at Belmont Park near Manayunk." This is the Belmont Driving Park in Philadelphia, which had a very active harness racing course established in 1880. It also appears to list the name of the horse and jockey, which could be "Pallas, Bithers driving." This is a very rare larger scale watercolor by a prized American artist with work represented in The Met, Smithsonian, and Brooklyn Museum. The paper is watermarked "J Whatman" for James Whatman, who invented wove paper in the 1750s and was known as the best possible paper for watercolorists. The piece presents very well and has a great presence. The frame has had some repaired nicks here and there, but is solid and period. The watercolor has strong colors and a couple of small tears around the edges that were expertly conservation repaired years ago are evident. The only one that is visiible to the naked eye is approximately .5" in the upper center from the top edge. AUGUSTUS KOLLNER 1812-1906 Augustus Kollner (1812-1906) was a distinguished 19th-century Philadelphia artist, etcher, engraver, and lithographer who started his career in Germany, where he was born. By 1828 he was working as an engraver in Stutgart, Germany and later moved to Paris, where he worked during the 1930s. In 1839 Kollner immigrated to the United States and began working for the Haas firm in Washington D.C. producing lithographs. By 1840 Kollner had moved to Philadelphia, where he established a studio as a portrait painter. The business proved unsuccessful, however, and Kollner was forced to look elsewhere for work. This ultimately paved the path for him to become one of the chief artists for P. S. Duval and William Huddy's "U.S. Military Magazine,” which was published between 1839-1842. Kollner married Mary Sheek in the mid-1840s and continued to work with Duval as well other premier establishments such as Thomas Sinclair, Wagner & McGuigan, J. T. Bowen, Frederick Kuhl, and Brechemin & Camp. By the late 1840s some of his American views were being published in the "View of American Cities" by Goupil, Vibert & Co. In the 1850s Kollner again established an art firm, this time creating an array of necessities, such as bank notes and advertisements, as well as maps and artistic views. He also collaborated with the American Sunday School Union to produce images for a children's moral instruction book entitled “City Sights for Country Eyes,” which was published in 1856. Unfortunately, his businesses faired only slightly better than his first attempt and by 1861 it was shut down. Undeterred, Kollner continued to work within the art world, but not before serving in the American Civil War. Even after he retired in the 1880s, Kollner continued to draw and paint around the city of Philadelphia.

Dimensions:

Height: 24.5 in (62.23 cm)Width: 29 in (73.66 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)

Style:

Folk Art (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Paint,Paper

Place of Origin:

United States

Period:

1880-1889

Date of Manufacture:

1884