| Medium: | oil on canvas |
| Size: | 24 x 16 in (61 x 41 cm) |
| Inscription: | l/r "F Shafer" in the artist's characteristic block-letter hand (see note 1) |
| Verso: | l/c "Morning in the Adirondacks" in the characteristic block printing hand of the artist using blue brush. Some letters are quite faint and subject to interpretation. |
| Provenance: | In private collection, ca 1967; by descent to private collection, Santa Rosa, California, by 2007. |
| Citations: | Personal communication with the owner, 2007 |
| Description: | A one-legged man (perhaps a civil war veteran?) wearing a red shirt walks with the help of a crutch down a rutted dirt road leading to a lake. Two tall trees on the right side of the road and smaller, somewhat spindly trees on the left provide a frame for the scene. The hillside across the lake is forest covered above an eroded bank. The sky is hazy but blue at the top. A snag leans against the trees on the left and there are large snags on the ground on both sides of the road. (From a photograph.) |
| Note: | 1. The signature on this painting, while apparently in Schafer's characteristic block-letter hand, omits the "c" in his last name. This painting is currently the only one in the catalog that bears this signature form. 2. The painting seems to be closely related to Morning in the Adirondacks [2], which is very similar in composition and detail and also depicts a one-legged man wearing a red shirt strolling along a dirt path toward a lake. 3. The painting may be pendant with On Dry Creek. The two paintings were purchased in the 1960s for $5 apiece for their frames. 4. See the list of forest path scenes for several other works of similar composition, and also the list of eastern United States scenes. 5. Paintings with this title have appeared in at least three 19th century auctions but without enough information to either include or exclude the possibility that one of them is this painting. See Paintings known only by title for details. |
| Identification: | Title from verso inscription. |
| In index(es): | Title list, eastern United States scenes, forest path scenes |
![[photo]](../smalls/p/img1123.jpg)