Description:

American School, late 19th c., "Conversation: The Possum Man and Old Smithy in front of the Blacksmith Shop", oil on canvas, unsigned, illegible pencil inscription en verso, 24 in. x 20 in., framed. Provenance: The Jay P. Altmayer Family Collection. Note: This quintessentially American scene of the late 19th century depicts the interaction between two men in a southern landscape, created by an anonymous artist in a manner directly related to the work of William Aiken Walker. The brushwork, composition and subject matter of the work all evoke Walker's characteristic style, albeit on a larger scale which allows for greater detail in the faces and clothes of the sensitively portrayed figures. Walker himself painted pictures of a man holding an opossum at least three times, although all three paintings included cotton fields in the background. In the work offered here, the blacksmith, whose workshop can be seen in the background, converses with the man who holds the opossum, perhaps trading goods for his dinner that night. Hunted both for meat and for its pelt, the opossum was a common substitute for chicken or rabbit in stews or served with sweet potatoes, particularly in the rural South. Mark Twain enjoyed opossum so much that he included it on his list of about seventy-five American foods he missed eating the most while traveling in Europe.

  • Condition: All lots are sold “As is” and “Where is”. Neal Auction provides condition reports on items with a low estimate over $500 as a courtesy to aid in your bidding decision. No statement regarding age, condition, kind, value, or quality of a lot, whether made orally at the auction or at any other time, or in writing in this catalogue or elsewhere, shall be construed to be an express or implied warranty, representation, or assumption of liability. Completed condition reports are posted as an additional image with the lot. Neal Auction does not give refunds.

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September 9, 2017 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US

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$100 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $9,999 $250
$10,000 $49,999 $500
$50,000 $999,999 $5,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $10,000
$2,000,000 $2,999,999 $15,000
$3,000,000 + $20,000