James Smillie

Landscape (Possibly Bronx, NY)

1863

Signed & dated, lower left, 1869 Herman Ottomar Herzog was born in Bremen, Germany, on November 15, 1831. He studied art at the Dusseldorf Academy, starting in 1848, under several classical landscape painters. In 1855, Herzog made his first visit to Norway. The trip was a milestone in Herzog's career as it exposed him to the rugged landscape of the Norwegian wilderness and instilled in him a lifelong sense of nature that was to show in all his work. During the late 1850's and early 1860's, Herzog's fame spread throughout Europe. His paintings were collected for their dynamic realism and strong atmospheric effects. Among his patrons were several of Europe's royal families, including Queen Victoria of England and Grand Duke Alexander of Russia. He exhibited in the Paris Salon in 1863 and 1864, winning an Honorable Mention. While in Paris, it is thought that Herzog came into contact with the popular Barbizon School, whose adherents painted the grandeur and beauty of Nature in a romantic and realistic style. The effect of the Barbizon painters can also be seen in Herzog's poetic handling of mood and color. Although he was still in Europe, Herzog sent several paintings for exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy from 1863 to 1869. He had several friends in the United States and they were developing a rather good demand for his work. It is not known exactly when Herzog decided to come to America. Sometime in the late 1860's he settled in Philadelphia. Besides wanting a developing market for his work, Herzog left Bremen due to rising political agitation by Prussia, which had just absorbed Bremen into its domain. In America, Herzog continued to paint his romantic landscapes, finding the American wilderness well suited to his style. In 1871, he traveled up the Hudson River on a painting tour. In 1873, he took his first trip west, going to Yosemite, then to Wyoming, Oregon, and along the West Coast to the Coronado Island, near the Mexican border. Herzog made several journeys west, finding each trip more fruitful than the last. He became known for his depictions of Yosemite, receiving great acclaim for a fine El Capitan, much in the style of his fellow countryman and painter Albert Bierstadt. His last trip west was in 1905, at the age of 74. In 1876, Herzog participated in the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, showing a Norwegian scene and a Yosemite landscape...

Signed lower left. Most noted for his paintings of forest interiors, Roswell Shurtleff settled in Hartford, Connecticut but spent his summers painting his signature works in the Adirondacks at Keene Valley, New York. He and John Lee Fitch successfully encouraged other artists to join them including Winslow Homer, J Alden Weir, James Smillie...

Signed lower left J. A. Hekking was a versatile and talented landscape painter who lived in New York and Connecticut and was active from the early 1850's to the later 1870's. Hekking was a frequent participant at major exhibitions. His paintings were inspired by the Adirondack and White Mountains, Connecticut, New York views, and the Jersey shore. He worked with Frederick Rondeland. His paintings were actively acquired by important collectors including J.S. Farrand, Sarah Holderby, N.L. Lindsey, T. Foster, and George Watter Vincent Smith. Hekking exhibited at the National Academy of Design (eight paintings between 1859 and 1875); the 1865 Michigan State Fair; the Crystal Palace in New York, 1853; Cosmopolitan Art Association, 1858; Utica Art Association, 1868; Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, 1869; Boston;1869; the Buffalo YMCA, 1861 and the Chicago Industrial...

Signed lower right. A landscape and marine painter, William Ongley was born in England in 1836 and came to America with his family and settled in New York. His art studies took him ...

Signed & dated lower right. Known as a painter of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Samuel Griggs was listed as an architect in the Boston City directory from 1848 to 1852, a...

Andrew Fisher Bunner ANA 1841-1897 Andrew Fisher Bunner was born in 1841 in New York City, and he studied there and in Europe. In fact, his career included extended travels in Fra...

A rare depiction of Lake Mohonk, this painting by Hudson River School artist Nelson Augustus Moore (1824-1902) features Sky Top Tower and the serene natural surroundings of the historic Mohonk Mountain House. This 19th century oil painting on canvas measures 12 x 17.75 inches. The painting is signed and dated at the lower right, signed again and titled "Lake Mohonk" on the verso. The painting is framed is ready to hang. Nelson Augustus Moore was born on August 2, 1824, in Kensington, CT. His artistic studies began under the tutelage of Thomas Cummings and Daniel Huntington in New York City. After returning home to Connecticut, Moore taught drawing classes and also opened a photography business. He and his brother operated this daguerreotype studio in Hartford, CT until 1864 when Moore chose to return to landscape painting. His landscapes consisted mostly of New England subjects. He kept a studio in New York, painting in the same building as Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, James Hart and William Hart. Nelson Augustus Moore, while sharing in many ideologies with his contemporaries, felt no need to travel vast distances in search of grandiose and spectacular landscapes. He held a particular delight in the peaceful harmony of the local American countryside...

Hudson River School artist Worthington Whittredge's (1820-1910) Landscape in the Hudson Valley is oil on canvas and measures 11 x 19 inches. The work is signed by the artist at the l...

Hudson River Inlet, 1885 by Hudson River School artist Frank Anderson (1844-1891) is oil on canvas. The work measures 15.13 x 24.25 inches ...

Hudson River School painter Andrew Melrose's (1836-1901) "Meadow and Mountain at Sunset" is oil on canvas and measures 12 x 18 inches. The painting is signed by Melrose at the lower left. The work is framed in and ready to hang. Little is known about the early life of Scottish-born artist Andrew Melrose, though available literature often notes that he was largely self-taught. He is thought to have come to America in 1856, stopping in New York before moving on to Toronto. Within ten years, Melrose, along with his wife, had relocated to the New York area. His first great success came in 1867 when he was commissioned by the Chicago and Northwestern...

JOHN FREDERICK KENSETT (1816-1872) Woodland Waterfall Oil on canvas 14 x 12 inches Signed lower right

Painted by Hudson River School artist Ida H. Stebbins (b. 1851), "View of South Pond, New York," 1879 is oil on canvas, measures 23 x 33 1/2 inches, and is signed and dated 1879 at t...