Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 4

Walter Emerson Baum
"Perkiomen Mills"

c. 1935

About the Item

Jim’s of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to present this piece by Walter Emerson Baum (1884 - 1956). Born in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, Walter Baum was one of the only members of the New Hope Art Colony actually born in Bucks County. Greatly inspired by the painters of the original “New Hope School”, Baum had an extremely profound impact on artistic development throughout the Delaware Valley. As an artist, there was no other to even come close in matching his highly prolific artistic production. His works were admired by both collectors and aspiring artists. His involvement in establishing an art school and museum in Allentown would have an enormous influence on what would become one of the largest artistic communities in the United States. It was not until the age of twenty that Baum would begin his art studies first privately with William Trego, a respected local painter, followed by his enrollment to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where his instructors included Thomas Anshutz and Daniel Garber. He was awarded the Jennie Sesnan Gold Medal from the Pennsylvania Academy in 1925. Baum taught summer classes for the public schools of Allentown in 1926. The immense popularity of these classes would eventually lead to Baum co-founding the Kline-Baum School of Art in 1929 (later renamed the Baum School of Art). Baum also helped found the Allentown Art Museum in 1936, the Lehigh Art Alliance and the Circulating Picture Club. Baum wrote over five hundred reviews for the Philadelphia Bulletin as wells as Two Hundred Years, a study of the Pennsylvania Germans and their heritage. Baum did much to enrich the cultural environments of eastern Pennsylvania’s past. He received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Lehigh University in 1946. During his long career, Baum worked in several mediums and painted in various styles. Many of his earlier works are magnificent impressionist landscapes of Bucks County and the Lehigh Valley showing the strong influence of Redfield and Schofield. Baum developed friendships with Schofield and Garber which deepened his appreciation for the regional landscape. In the late 1940s into 1950s, Baum’s style of painting changed completely, taking on modernist qualities similar to that of the French Post-Impressionist painters. These later works usually depict urban views of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton as well as figurative works, still lifes and scenes portraying the students in his art classes and studio. Baum actively taught art and promoted artists throughout his life. As art editor of the Pennsylvania Bulletin, he wrote hundreds of reviews. While he is known for his larger works, Baum painted over a thousand pictures of smaller sizes including extremely detailed 4 x 6-inch miniature landscapes. He would often paint the same scene again and again. Because of his unusually strong work ethic, not all of his many paintings are representative of his potential greatness. When studying his work, it is not uncommon to see several similar views of fair quality and then come upon a fine execution of the same scene. Great painters did not always paint great paintings, and when one was as prolific as Baum, this should be remembered and understood. There has always been a cloud cast upon Baum’s work by less knowledgeable collectors regarding forgeries and paintings finished and signed by the artist’s son. Granted, there are a lot of fake paintings bearing his name, but whether or not his son painted or signed them remains to be seen, but if a painting even looks remotely questionable, it is likely to be at best, of poor quality, and worst case a fake. Either or, this is not the kind of painting a collector should consider buying at any price. A Baum painting of investment quality will look like a fine painting and will not cast any doubt upon the trained eye.
  • Creator:
    Walter Emerson Baum (1884-1956, American)
  • Creation Year:
    c. 1935
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 40 in (101.6 cm)Width: 50 in (127 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Lambertville, NJ
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: JOL1119220301stDibs: LU37412374472

More From This Seller

View All
"In Port"
By Edward Willis Redfield
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim’s of Lambertville is proud to offer this artwork by: Edward Willis Redfield (1869 - 1965) Edward W. Redfield was born in Bridgeville, Delaware, moving to Philadelphia as a young child. Determined to be an artist from an early age, he studied at the Spring Garden Institute and the Franklin Institute before entering the Pennsylvania Academy from 1887 to 1889, where he studied under Thomas Anshutz, James Kelly, and Thomas Hovenden. Along with his friend and fellow artist, Robert Henri, he traveled abroad in 1889 and studied at the Academie Julian in Paris under William Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury. While in France, Redfield met Elise Deligant, the daughter of an innkeeper, and married in London in 1893. Upon his return to the United States, Redfield and his wife settled in Glenside, Pennsylvania. He remained there until 1898, at which time he moved his family to Center Bridge, a town several miles north of New Hope along the Delaware River. Redfield painted prolifically in the 1890s but it was not until the beginning of the twentieth century that he would develop the bold impressionist style that defined his career. As Redfield’s international reputation spread, many young artists gravitated to New Hope as he was a great inspiration and an iconic role model. Edward Redfield remained in Center Bridge throughout his long life, fathering his six children there. Around 1905 and 1906, Redfield’s style was coming into its own, employing thick vigorous brush strokes tightly woven and layered with a multitude of colors. These large plein-air canvases define the essence of Pennsylvania Impressionism. By 1907, Redfield had perfected his craft and, from this point forward, was creating some of his finest work. Redfield would once again return to France where he painted a small but important body of work between 1907 and 1908. While there, he received an Honorable Mention from the Paris Salon for one of these canvases. In 1910 he was awarded a Gold Medal at the prestigious Buenos Aires Exposition and at the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915 in San Francisco, an entire gallery was dedicated for twenty-one of his paintings. Since Redfield painted for Exhibition with the intent to win medals, his best effort often went into his larger paintings. Although he also painted many fine smaller pictures, virtually all of his works were of major award-winning canvas sizes of 38x50 or 50x56 inches. If one were to assign a period of Redfield’s work that was representative of his “best period”, it would have to be from 1907 to 1925. Although he was capable of creating masterpieces though the late 1940s, his style fully matured by 1907 and most work from then through the early twenties was of consistently high quality. In the later 1920s and through the 1930s and 1940s, he was like most other great artists, creating some paintings that were superb examples and others that were of more ordinary quality. Redfield earned an international reputation at a young age, known for accurately recording nature with his canvases and painting virtually all of his work outdoors; Redfield was one of a rare breed. He was regarded as the pioneer of impressionist winter landscape painting in America, having few if any equals. Redfield spent summers in Maine, first at Boothbay Harbor and beginning in the 1920s, on Monhegan Island. There he painted colorful marine and coastal scenes as well as the island’s landscape and fishing shacks. He remained active painting and making Windsor style furniture...
Category

Early 1900s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Winter Moonlight"
By George William Sotter
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Period frame Framed dimensions are 30" x 34" x 2" Signed & dated lower right
Category

20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Road to Argus"
By Walter Emerson Baum
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim’s of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to offer this piece by Walter Emerson Baum (1884 - 1956). Born in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, Walter Baum was one of the only members...
Category

1930s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"New York Harbor"
By Johann Berthelsen, 1883-1972
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim’s of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to offer this piece by Johann Berthelsen (1883 – 1972). Born in 1883 in Denmark to artistically inclined parents, Johann Berthelsen would become a widely successful singer, teacher, and painter. After his parents divorced, his mother brought Berthelsen and his siblings with her to the United States in 1890, eventually settling in Wisconsin. At eighteen, Berthelsen moved to Chicago in the hope of becoming an actor, but a friend at the Chicago Musical College convinced him to audition at his school. Berthelsen received a full scholarship and enrolled at the college, where he was awarded the Gold Medal twice. After graduating, he had an active career traveling across the United States and Canada performing in operas and concerts, before joining the voice faculty at his alma mater in 1910. In 1913, Berthelsen became the voice department director at the Indianapolis Conservatory of Music. While in Chicago, Berthelsen met the landscape painter, Svend Svendsen...
Category

20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Winter Storm, NYC"
By Johann Berthelsen, 1883-1972
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim’s of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to offer this piece by Johann Berthelsen (1883 – 1972). Born in 1883 in Denmark to artistically inclined parents, Johann Berthelsen would become a widely successful singer, teacher, and painter. After his parents divorced, his mother brought Berthelsen and his siblings with her to the United States in 1890, eventually settling in Wisconsin. At eighteen, Berthelsen moved to Chicago in the hope of becoming an actor, but a friend at the Chicago Musical College convinced him to audition at his school. Berthelsen received a full scholarship and enrolled at the college, where he was awarded the Gold Medal twice. After graduating, he had an active career traveling across the United States and Canada performing in operas and concerts, before joining the voice faculty at his alma mater in 1910. In 1913, Berthelsen became the voice department director at the Indianapolis Conservatory of Music. While in Chicago, Berthelsen met the landscape painter, Svend Svendsen...
Category

20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"A Day in March"
By John Fulton Folinsbee
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim’s of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to offer this piece by John Fulton Folinsbee (1892 - 1972). One of the finest painters to embark upon the New Hope Art Colony, John F...
Category

1920s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

You May Also Like

'Maine Coast', Cape Cod Framed Modern Impressionist Marine Oil Painting
By Ronald Tinney
Located in Westport, CT
Cape Cod, seascape, summer, sail, boat, waves, water, ocean, white, aqua, blue, coastal, nautical, refresh, marine, marine art, sailboat, serene, tranquil, water scene, scenic, landscape, traditional, contemporary art, calm, dark blue, oceanic, sea, framed, gold framed, impressionist, impressionist art, impressionism, American impressionism. Canvas size is 30”x40”. Professionally Framed In A Classic Wood Antiqued Gold-Hued Frame. Ready To Hang. (27.25” x 37.25” Framed) Please note that the frame is free and has some wear and areas where the gold paint has rubbed off. Ronald J. Tinney was born in 1958 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Ron now lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts and is a full-time artist focusing on Coastal Landscapes and Marine scenes in oils. He paints on location “en plein air” year round, studying nature and creating source material for his larger studio paintings. Ron is a “Signature Member” of the American Society of Marine Artists, a Professional Member of the International Society of Marine Painters, a Juried Member of the Copley Society and a Past President of the Cape Cod Art...
Category

2010s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Old High Country Woman
By Roy Andersen
Located in Missouri, MO
Roy Andersen (b. 1930) "Old High Country Woman" Oil on Canvas 12 x 16 inches 21.5 x 25 inches framed Known as a western painter, Roy Andersen did paintings of Crow, Cheyenne, and Apache Indians. He began his career living in Chicago and New York and working as an illustrator. He did numerous covers for Time Magazine including portraits of Albert Einstein and Prince Fahd. He also did illustrations for National Geographic magazine, and did a stamp series on Dogs and American Horses, and in 1984 and 1985, won Stamp of the Year Award. As a muralist, he has filled commissions for the National Park Service, the Royal Saudi Naval Headquarters, and the E.E. Fogelson Vistor Center at Pecos National Monument in New Mexico. To pursue his talent for painting, Roy Anderson went West, living in Arizona and settling in Cave Creek. In 1990, he was voted official artist for Scottsdale's Parada del Sol, the "world's largest" horse-drawn parade commemorating the Old West. Andersen grew up on an apple farm in New Hampshire and learned about Indian customs from his many hours spent at the Chicago Museum of Natural History. He is meticulous about being historically accurate in his paintings. Of him it was written: "There are no 'happy accidents' in an Andersen painting. He has a knowledge of his subject that is attained only through extensive research. You will not find an Apache medicine bag...
Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Gray Brothers
By Charles Harold Davis
Located in Missouri, MO
Charles Harold Davis (1856-1933) "Gray Brothers" Oil on Canvas Signed Lower Left Canvas Size: 30 x 24 inches Framed Size: 35 x 30.5 inches Born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, Charles ...
Category

Late 19th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

A Place in the Sun
By Carl Ivar Gilbert
Located in Missouri, MO
Carl Iver Gilbert (1882-1959) "A Place in the Sun" Oil on Canvas Signed Image: 10 x 12 inches Framed Size: 15 x 18.5 inches Carl Ivar Gilbert was a...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Busy Marketplace - New Orleans
By Paul Bernard King
Located in Milford, NH
An exceptional impressionist oil painting of a bustling marketplace in New Orleans by American artist Paul Bernard King (1867-1947). King was born in Buffalo, New York, and after becoming an established printer, went on to study at the NY Art Students League with Henry S...
Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Springtime Landscape" William Anderson Coffin, American Impressionism Barbizon
By William Anderson Coffin
Located in New York, NY
William Anderson Coffin (1855 - 1925) Springtime Landscape, circa 1910 Oil on canvas 30 x 24 inches Signed lower right Landscape and figure painter William Anderson Coffin was born...
Category

1910s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All