Jeff Bridgman Antique Flags and Painted Furniture - FOLK PAINTING, IN OIL ON WOODEN PANEL, OF THE PADDLEWHEEL STEAMER "GREY EAGLE" BEFORE THE TOWNSCAPE OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, AT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI RIVERS, circa 1865-1888

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FOLK PAINTING, IN OIL ON WOODEN PANEL, OF THE PADDLEWHEEL STEAMER "GREY EAGLE" BEFORE THE TOWNSCAPE OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, AT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI RIVERS, circa 1865-1888


Dimensions (inches):	12" x 18.5"
Description:
Oil on wooden panel of the Grey Eagle steamboat, built at Warsaw, Illinois in 1865, for service in the line of the Eagle Packet Company. Based in Alton, Illinois, at the convergence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, the Grey Eagle was one of several boats with similar names, among which included the Spread Eagle, Bald Eagle, and War Eagle. Oil on wooden panel of the Grey Eagle steamboat, built at Warsaw, Illinois in 1865, for service in the line of the Eagle Packet Company. Based in Alton, Illinois, at the convergence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, the Grey Eagle was one of several boats with similar names, among which were the Spread Eagle, the Bald Eagle, and the War Eagle. The townscape of Alton appears in the background of this wonderful folk painting, with church steeples, a freight train skirting the shoreline, and smoke trails from both industry and other steamers, mingling with wispy clouds above. The delightful scale of this work, at just 12” x 18.5”, makes it easy to find room for in a collection. Never framed, this hangs from an early brass ring in the top center. Warping of the panel in a convex bow adds its own degree of visual interest, as does the fine craquelure, that has wonderful appeal to the serious collector and student of 19th century American folk art. The Grey Eagle sank near the town of Henry, Illinois, in 1888, at which time it was replaced by the Rescue, a boat pictured alongside it in an early, surviving photo. The Grey Eagle disappeared from record after that year. A larger boat by the same name was built to replace it in 1892 by Howard Ship Yards of Jefferson, Indiana, and served Eagle Packet Company until 1918, when it was lost in ice at Paducah, Kentucky. Condition: In addition to what is described above there is a bit of scuffing, wear around the edges, and a couple of tiny spots of inpainting on the riverbank, but the overall condition is simply wonderful.



Primary Color:	multi-colored

Earliest Date:	1865

Latest Date:	1888

For Sale Status:	Available

Price	$6,500

E-mail:	info@jeffbridgman.com

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FOLK PAINTING, IN OIL ON WOODEN PANEL, OF THE PADDLEWHEEL STEAMER "GREY EAGLE" BEFORE THE TOWNSCAPE OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, AT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI RIVERS, circa 1865-1888

FOLK PAINTING, IN OIL ON WOODEN PANEL, OF THE PADDLEWHEEL STEAMER "GREY EAGLE" BEFORE THE TOWNSCAPE OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, AT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI RIVERS, circa 1865-1888

FOLK PAINTING, IN OIL ON WOODEN PANEL, OF THE PADDLEWHEEL STEAMER "GREY EAGLE" BEFORE THE TOWNSCAPE OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, AT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI RIVERS, circa 1865-1888

FOLK PAINTING, IN OIL ON WOODEN PANEL, OF THE PADDLEWHEEL STEAMER "GREY EAGLE" BEFORE THE TOWNSCAPE OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, AT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI RIVERS, circa 1865-1888

FOLK PAINTING, IN OIL ON WOODEN PANEL, OF THE PADDLEWHEEL STEAMER "GREY EAGLE" BEFORE THE TOWNSCAPE OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, AT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI RIVERS, circa 1865-1888

FOLK PAINTING, IN OIL ON WOODEN PANEL, OF THE PADDLEWHEEL STEAMER "GREY EAGLE" BEFORE THE TOWNSCAPE OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, AT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI RIVERS, circa 1865-1888

FOLK PAINTING, IN OIL ON WOODEN PANEL, OF THE PADDLEWHEEL STEAMER "GREY EAGLE" BEFORE THE TOWNSCAPE OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, AT THE CONVERGENCE OF THE ILLINOIS & MISSISSIPPI RIVERS, circa 1865-1888