John Ehninger

(1827-1889)

Rural 19th-century America was replete with iconic images and subjects that contribute to our view of ourselves and our history. Winslow Homer was probably the most observant and skilled at capturing these images; when I saw this very compelling painting by a contemporary of Homer (in fact, born a decade earlier), I loved it immediately and knew this was as close as I would ever get to a real Winslow Homer. Ehninger is a very accomplished artist, and fairly rare. This piece has it all: a young African-American boy, hound dog, corn field, and pumpkins. For me this was a significant acquisition in 1978 from Ken Lux. Interestingly, it occurred while our family was living in Australia. Trying carefully to add works to the collection from halfway around the world was risky and depended on working with dealers I knew and trusted. Thank you, Ken; I still feel this is a small American masterpiece.