Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13

Willis Seaver Adams
Late 19th Century Tonalist Landscape -- Afternoon by the Pond

Circa 1880s

$3,950
£3,003.09
€3,465.68
CA$5,528.94
A$6,190.94
CHF 3,230.12
MX$75,432.03
NOK 40,987.94
SEK 38,968.62
DKK 25,869
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Gorgeous tonalist oil painting woman walking in field by pond with home in background by Willis Seaver Adams (American, 1844-1921), circa 1880. Trees and an amazing sky in the background add depth and interest to this beautiful piece. Signed "W. S. Adams" lower right corner. Condition: Previous restoration includes relining of canvas. Frame is vintage gilt molded and wood frame and shows previous repair of molding losses. Image size: 20"H x 24"W. Auctions records for the artist exceed $6,000. Willis Seaver Adams was known for his landscapes of the Connecticut River Valley. A relative recluse for much of his artistic life, his loneliness can be seen in much of his works. Oil miniatures were the focus for almost all of his later works. He is credited with over 425 oils, watercolors, and drawings. Willis Seaver was born in 1844 on a farm in Suffield, near the Connecticut River. He intermittently attended the Suffield Academy, and always wanted to be a painter. A wealthy doctor became his patron, and financed his studies in 1868 at the Royal Academy in Antwerp. When the doctor passed away, Adams returned home and struggled to make a living painting. After working for a photographer for three years, he opened his own studio. Adams helped organize Cleveland's first watercolor exhibit in 1876. Soon thereafter, he completed a portrait of Rutherford B. Hayes, then governor of Ohio, prior to his becoming President of the United States. This portrait enhanced Adams notoriety. In 1878, Adams traveled to Italy where he opened a studio in Venice, and became friendly with neighbor James Whistler. Prior to returning to Springfield, Adams lived in Florence, Italy for three years. He returned to became an instructor for the Springfield Art Association, and began to exhibit his works at the galleries of James D. Gill. His first one-man exhibit was held there in 1894. Other successful exhibitions took place in Chicago, New York, and Boston. Although his works garnered respectable prices and reflected his success, Adams felt he was due more recognition. In 1906, he moved to Greenfield, Massachusetts and converted a barn into a studio. There, he fell into relative obscurity, accompanied mainly by his dog, Collie. In 1921, Adams passed away. Examples of Willis Adams works can be seen at the Kent Memorial Library, the Wadsworth Atheneum, and the Suffield Academy. Several Suffield residents are thought to own Adams paintings.
  • Creator:
    Willis Seaver Adams (1844 - 1921, American)
  • Creation Year:
    Circa 1880s
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 25.75 in (65.41 cm)Width: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Depth: 3.75 in (9.53 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Auction records for the artist exceed $6,000. Very good. Previous restoration includes relining of linen. Some craquelure. Frame is vintage gilt molded and wood frame and shows previous repair of molding losses.
  • Gallery Location:
    Soquel, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: D7696*1stDibs: LU54210377542

More From This Seller

View All
Cattle By Pond At Dusk, Mid-19th Century Tonalist Landscape by William Keith
By William Keith
Located in Soquel, CA
Cattle By Pond At Dusk, Mid-19th Century Tonalist Landscape by William Keith Gorgeous mid-19th century landscape painting by William Keith (American, 1838-1911), circa 1860. This impressive Tonalist landscape, titled "In the Woods", depicts cattle beside a pond in the forest at dusk. Keith uses loose, blended brush strokes and a muted earthy palette to create an atmospheric mood that Tonalism is known for. Signed "W. Keith" lower left. Museum label on verso from Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Presented in an antique giltwood frame. Image size: 9"H x 13"W. With frame measures: 16"H x 20"W x 3"D. Provenance: Mrs. Eugene Patterson; Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Authenticity guaranteed and certificate include. Condition: Very good. Cleaning and restoration required signature to be re-touched, original images pre-restoration available. About the Artist: Brought to New York City in 1850, William Keith was apprenticed to a wood engraver in 1856 working for "Harper's" magazine. In 1858 (or 1859) he visited California for "Harper's" and then after a trip to Great Britain, settled in California as an engraver in 1862. He began exhibiting paintings in 1864 in San Francisco where he opened his studio, after having been taught painting by his wife. The Northern Pacific Railroad...
Category

1890s Pre-Raphaelite Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Illustration Board

Late 19th Century Tonalist Landscape with Oak Trees
By Willard LeRoy Metcalf
Located in Soquel, CA
Gorgeous late 19th century Tonalist landscape painting of foothills and oak trees in the style of Willard Leroy Metcalf circa 1900. Inscribed "M" in circle monogram lower left corner and on frame verso. Presented in original rustic giltwood frame. Image size: 6"H x 8"W. Framed size: 8.5"H x 10.5"W. Tonalist are usually intimate works, painted with a limited palette. Tonalist paintings are softly expressive, suggestive rather than detailed, often depicting the landscape at twilight or evening, when there is an absence of contrast. Tonalist paintings could also be figurative, but in them, the figure was usually out of doors or in an interior in a low-key setting with little detail. Tonalism had its origins in the works of the French Barbizon school and in the works of American painters who were influenced by them. California Tonalism was born when the emphasis in California landscape painting passed from the grand landscapes of works like those of Thomas Hill and William Keith's early career, to more intimate views of a domesticated landscape. At the same time, the parallel Pictorialist Photography...
Category

1890s Tonalist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Early 20th Century Tonalist Pastel Landscape
By William Henry Chandler
Located in Soquel, CA
Early 20th Century Tonalist Pastel Landscape Beautiful tonal landscape, c.1915, by pastel artist William Henry Chandler (American, 1854-1928). The viewer looks out over a serene riv...
Category

1910s Tonalist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Large Early 20th Century Country Stream at College Lake Landscape
By William Lemos
Located in Soquel, CA
Beautiful landscape depicting an idyllic view of a stream at College Lake with craftsman home in Watsonville, California by William Lemos (American, 1861-1942), c.1920s. Signed "Lemo...
Category

1920s Naturalistic Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen

Early Tonalist Landscape -- California Coastal Live Oaks William Schneider 1915
Located in Soquel, CA
Early Tonalist Landscape -- California Coastal Live Oaks William Schneider 1915 Beautiful early 20th Century tonalist landscape of California by New York artist William G. Schneider ...
Category

1910s Tonalist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Early 20th Century Calming Stream Landscape
By Joline Butler Smith
Located in Soquel, CA
A wonderful turn of century landscape of a stream in wooded glen by American artist Joline Butler Smith (American, 1849-1946). Signed lower right corner. Condition: Very good: One te...
Category

1890s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

"Landscape with Trees and Pond"
By John Francis Murphy
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim’s of Lambertville is proud to offer this artwork. Signed and Dated Lower Left John Francis Murphy (1853 - 1921) John Francis Murphy is increasingly recognized today as one o...
Category

1890s Tonalist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Charles Henry Miller Tonalist Countryside landscape Painting 1876
Located in New York, NY
Countryside, 1876 Oil on canvas 13 1/2 x 11 in. Framed: 17 1/2 x 15 x 1 1/2 in. Signed lower left and dated 1876
Category

1870s English School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Elbridge Kingsley 19th Century Tonalist Landscape
Located in San Francisco, CA
Elbridge Kingsley: 1842-1918. Listed American artist whose paintings are very rare. He was born in Carthage Ohio and moved to Hatfield Massachusetts as an infant. He ended up becoming a successful wood engraver printing a lot of George Inness and Albert Pinkham Ryder...
Category

Late 19th Century Tonalist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil

Summertime River Landscape by 19th century American Impressionist
Located in Doylestown, PA
A summertime landscape along the river by 19th century, American painter. The 12 x 16 inches, oil on paper is framed and matted behind glass, and signed "W. Taylor Thomson" in the lo...
Category

Late 19th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

"Tonalist Landscape" Oil Painting of English Landscape with Lush Trees & Clouds
Located in New York, NY
A wonderful rendition of an English Landscape by renowned artist William Emerson. This piece was executed by the English country side, where he packed much detail through out. The to...
Category

Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Antique Victorian English Signed Oil Tranquil River Landscape Quiet Pastures
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Tranquil Landscape by Rex Vicat Cole (British 1870-1940) * see notes below signed & dated 1899 oil on canvas, framed framed: 16 x 20 inches canvas: 10 x 14 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good and sound condition; please note the frame is antique and as such has minor losses to the plaster and gilt, we include it free of charge but cannot warranty its condition. Reginald (Rex) Vicat Cole was the son of the artist George Vicat Cole. He began to exhibit in London in the 1890s and was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1900. He taught at King’s College London with Byam Shaw and together they opened their own establishment, the Byam Shaw and Vicat Cole School of Art in Camden Street, Kensington in 1910. At the outbreak of the First World War Vicat Cole and Byam Shaw enlisted in the Artists Rifles...
Category

Late 19th Century Victorian Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas