Artist/Maker

Unknown

Place Made

Date Made

1835-1845

Medium

watercolor and graphite on paper

Dimensions

HOA: 9 7/8″; WOA: 14″

Accession Number

5397

Description

Discovered in Southside Virginia or Northeastern North Carolina, this unsigned landscape in watercolor and graphite depict a typical middling plantation of the region. The sort of three-bay vernacular farmhouse with later additions rambling off of the rear is common along the Virginia and North Carolina line. For example, the Gates County craftsman Joseph Freeman built a similar house in 1821 (Bivins, Coastal NC, 374). What is significant about this view is that it also depicts the various outbuildings that comprised the overall built environment. While the houses often survive, the farm landscapes that once surrounded them often do not.

DESCRIPTION: A Landscape done in watercolor and graphite on paper, which is brown and brittle. The image is of a farmhouse on the far left with surrounding out buildings. There are seven out buildings and a single horse is in the background within fencing, and a horse and rider are in the foreground. The landscape is flat with three tall trees with green leaves in the foreground while similar small trees are in the background. The buildings and fencing are a blend of graphite and watercolor. In the lower right hand corner is the initial “M.”

Credit Line

Gift of Dale L. Couch.