Man Feeding a Bear an Ear of Cornc. 1840Sheet: 5 5/8 x 7 1/2 " (14.3 x 19.1 cm)
Frame: 13 x 14 7/8 x 3/4 " (33 x 37.8 x 1.9 cm)Watercolor, ink, and pencil on paperGift of Ralph Esmerian2013.1.3701547573946P1.2001.252Artist unidentifiedDrawingsThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain. United StatesPennsylvaniaWorks on PaperPaintingsYoung America: A Folk Art History. Jean Lipman, Elizabeth V. Warren and Robert Bishop. New York: Hudson Hills Press in association with the Museum of American Folk Art, 1986, illustrated fig. 1.21, p. 27.
Five-Star Folk Art: One Hundred American Masterpieces. Jean Lipman, Robert Bishop, Elizabeth V. Warren and Sharon L. Eisenstat. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. in association with the Museum of American Folk Art, 1990, ill. #21, p.54.
The Flowering of American Folk Art, 1776-1876. Jean Lipman and Alice Winchester. New York: Viking Press, 1974, p64, fig. 80. #80
The Blue Story House, Oxford University Press, 1976, Arts and Antiques Weekly, December 7, 1973.In this watercolor a man is feeding an ear of corn to a bear who appears small and friendly. It is painted in a style reminiscent of the Pennsylvania German art of fraktur, and includes a tulip, stars, and a crescent moon, motifs that appear on printed almanacs. The elements of a black bear, tree, and dog on the roof of the house, however, may be based on the sport of black bear baiting. Historical references cite this practice in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County at the beginning of the nineteenth century: “[I]t is said that bear-baiting was a frequent pastime in the county as late as 1815. . . .” and “On the 1st of January, 1807, John Worman had a great bear-bait at his hotel. . . .” As a sport, black bear baiting has a long history in Europe. In early America hounds were bred specifically for tracking black bears and herding them to a tree, where they could be hunted and collected. The large animals were perceived as a threat to settlements and assumed mythical dimensions as symbols of all that was unknown about the land.
Yet another interpretation of the watercolor may lie in the practice of putting exotic animals on display in front of public houses to draw custom. While bears could not be considered as exotic as elephants, lions, and camels, they were exhibited in Pennsylvania as attractions outside establishments such as public taverns. In his zoo and museum at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Charles Willson Peale exhibited two large grizzlies that had been captured by explorer Zebulon Pike.
Stacy C. Hollander, “Man Feeding a Bear an Ear of Corn,” exhibition label for Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum. Stacy C. Hollander and Valérie Rousseau, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2014.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgP1.2001.25218351845 2013 1 37 In this watercolor a man is feeding an ear of corn to a bear who appears small and friendly. It is painted in a style reminiscent of the Pennsylvania German art of fraktur, and includes a tulip, stars, and a crescent moon, motifs that appear on printed almanacs. The elements of a black bear, tree, and dog on the roof of the house, however, may be based on the sport of black bear baiting. Historical references cite this practice in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County at the beginning of the nineteenth century: “[I]t is said that bear-baiting was a frequent pastime in the county as late as 1815. . . .” and “On the 1st of January, 1807, John Worman had a great bear-bait at his hotel. . . .” As a sport, black bear baiting has a long history in Europe. In early America hounds were bred specifically for tracking black bears and herding them to a tree, where they could be hunted and collected. The large animals were perceived as a threat to settlements and assumed mythical dimensions as symbols of all that was unknown about the land.
Yet another interpretation of the watercolor may lie in the practice of putting exotic animals on display in front of public houses to draw custom. While bears could not be considered as exotic as elephants, lions, and camels, they were exhibited in Pennsylvania as attractions outside establishments such as public taverns. In his zoo and museum at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Charles Willson Peale exhibited two large grizzlies that had been captured by explorer Zebulon Pike.
Stacy C. Hollander, “Man Feeding a Bear an Ear of Corn,” exhibition label for Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum. Stacy C. Hollander and Valérie Rousseau, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2014.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org