William Thomas Trego Sold at Auction Prices

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1859-1909) - The Charge of Custer at Winchester

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1859-1909) - The Charge of Custer at Winchester Signed and dated ‘W. T. TREGO/1876’ bottom right, oil on canvas 28 ¼ x 40 ¼ inches (51.4 x 102.2cm) Provenance Collection of John C. White.  Collection of Adlai Ewing, New York, New York and Bloomington, Illinois, late 1880s. Bloomington Public Library, Bloomington, Illinois, circa 1888 (by donation). Hindman, Chicago, sale of March 30, 2023, lot 76. Acquired directly from the above sale. Private Collection, New York. Exhibition Michigan State Fair, Detroit, Michigan, August-September 1879 (per Detroit Free Press, August 23, 1879). Angell’s Art Gallery, Detroit, Michigan, September 1879 (per Detroit Free Press, August 23, 1879). “Custer’s Last, or The Battle of the Little Big Horn in Picturesque Perspective,” Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, Texas, 1968. Literature Joseph P. Eckhardt, William T. Trego Catalogue Raisonné, James A. Michener Art Museum (accessed online at https://www.michenerartmuseum.org/catalogue/trego). Lot Essay Dubbed the “best historical painting in oil,” The Charge of Custer at Winchester, which recently reappeared on the market after having vanished for decades, was the work that sensationally launched Trego’s career at age 20. When on view at the Michigan State Fair in 1879, the painting was such a hit that the city of Detroit itself made an attempt to purchase it for permanent display in a local venue. It was ultimately John C. White, Secretary to the American Legation in Brazil, who acquired the painting for one thousand dollars several years later in 1884.  The scene depicts the Third Battle of Winchester, otherwise known as the Battle of Opequon, which took place in the Shenandoah Valley, near Winchester, Virginia on September 19, 1864. Due to its location, the Shenandoah Valley was a region of contention during the war, and played a key role in the strategy of the Confederates. Considered the breadbasket of the South, it enjoyed continued agricultural production, thus providing a substantial amount of food to civilians and soldiers, whereas other areas lost labor to the war effort. Because of its surrounding mountain range, the Valley also offered protection as troops and supplies could be screened from the enemy, which allowed the Confederacy to threaten Washington.   Led by Philip Henry Sheridan, the battle was an important victory for the Union against the Confederate forces, but is also remembered as one of the bloodiest events of the Civil War, with almost 10,000 casualties between the two sides. The painting depicts the moment when yellow-haired chieftain, General George Armstrong Custer, is dashing on his dark horse across the field at the head of his regiment. His saber raised in the air–a weapon many of the southerners did not have–“expresses all the fire and lofty courage and enthusiasm which characterized the man, and made him pre-eminent as a cavalry leader,” according to the Cleveland Free Press.

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858–1909) Mounted Soldier

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858–1909) Mounted Soldier Signed 'TREgO' [sic] bottom left; also inscribed 'Union Calvary Man' verso, oil on canvas laid down to board 17 x 15 in. (43.2 x 38.1cm) Executed circa 1900. Provenance Paul Gratz Gallery, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Acquired directly from the above. Collection of Sydney F. and Sharon Martin, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The Estate of Sydney F. Martin. Exhibited "So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego," James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, June 3-October 2, 2011. Literature William T. Trego Catalogue Raisonné, James A. Michener Art Museum (accessed online at https://www.michenerartmuseum.org/catalogue/trego/, illustrated). Note According to Joseph Eckardt, the present soldier "appears to be an enlisted man of a horse artillery unit, perhaps of the Civil War era or even later, in the time of the Indian Wars. The model for this work may have been James “Jimmy” Krout of North Wales who is known to have posed for Trego’s painting of a soldier of the Spanish-American War in 1900 (...). This work may be one of Trego’s sketches for a larger more finished work."

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858-1909) Three Union Soldiers (Study for the Rescue of the Colors)

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858-1909) Three Union Soldiers (Study for the Rescue of the Colors) Signed and dated ‘Wm. T. Trego 1899’ bottom right, oil on canvas 17 x 21 in. (43.2 x 53.3cm) Provenance Collection of Steve Barth, Pennsylvania. Acquired directly from the above. Collection of Sydney F. and Sharon Martin, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The Estate of Sydney F. Martin. Exhibited "So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego," James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, June 3-October 2, 2011. Literature William T. Trego Catalogue Raisonné, James A. Michener Art Museum (accessed online at https://www.michenerartmuseum.org/catalogue/trego/, illustrated). Note The present work appears to be a focused study of the main group of three figures featured at the center of The Rescue of the Colors. Two of the men are shown charging to the right, towards the advancing Confederates, while the soldier closest to the viewer is dramatically convulsing from the blow he just received. For action scenes such as this one, Trego usually used live models strapped in harnesses lifted up in the air, or would have them pose on a barrel hanging from the ceiling of his studio through chains, at the rate of one dollar a day.

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858–1909) Union Soldiers in Combat

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858–1909) Union Soldiers in Combat Signed and dated 'W. T. Trego/1895’ bottom left; also inscribed 'F. Swartzlander—1895' verso, oil on canvas 18 1/8 x 24 1/4 in. (46 x 61.6cm) Provenance The Artist. A gift from the above. Collection of Dr. Frank Swartzlander, Sr., Doylestown, Pennsylvania. By descent in the Swartzlander family, to his daughters Ellen and Mary, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. A gift from the above. Collection of J.D. Miller, Pennsylvania. Estate of J.D. Miller. Alderfer Auction, Hatfield, Pennsylvania, sale of October 12, 2011, lot 150. Acquired directly from the above sale. Collection of Sydney F. and Sharon Martin, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The Estate of Sydney F. Martin.

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858–1909) Wounded Soldiers

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858–1909) Wounded Soldiers Signed 'Wm. T. Trego' bottom left, oil on canvas 10 1/8 x 17 7/8 in. (25.7 x 45.4cm) Executed in 1884. Provenance Collection of Harry O. Eichleay, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By descent to his daughter, Helen E. Siegwarth. Acquired directy from the above in 1971. The Mellon Bank Corporate Collection, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Acquired from the above in 2006. Private Collection, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Acquired directly from the above in 2007. Collection of Sydney F. and Sharon Martin, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The Estate of Sydney F. Martin. Exhibited "So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego," James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, June 3-October 2, 2011. Literature William T. Trego Catalogue Raisonné, James A. Michener Art Museum (accessed online at https://www.michenerartmuseum.org/catalogue/trego/, illustrated). Note The two soldiers featured in the present work reappear in Trego's subsequent finished works, including The Battle of Fair Oaks (Lot 1), at center right, near the canvas' outer edge.

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858–1909) Horse Artillery Unit (The Color Guard)

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858–1909) Horse Artillery Unit (The Color Guard) Signed and dated ‘Wm. T. Trego/1884’ bottom left, oil on canvas 20 x 30 in. (50.8 x 76.2cm) Provenance Collection of Harry O. Eichleay, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By descent to his daughter, Helen E. Siegwarth. Acquired directy from the above in 1971. The Mellon Bank Corporate Collection, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Acquired from the above in 2006. Private Collection, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Acquired directly from the above in 2007. Collection of Sydney F. and Sharon Martin, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The Estate of Sydney F. Martin. Exhibited "So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego," James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, June 3-October 2, 2011. Literature William T. Trego Catalogue Raisonné, James A. Michener Art Museum (accessed online at https://www.michenerartmuseum.org/catalogue/trego/, illustrated). Note The present Lot serves as a preparatory study for Battery - Halt! of 1885, an imaginary work not linked to any specific battle where this same group of cavaliers can be seen on the left-hand side of the painting. According to Trego's leading expert, Joseph Eckardt, it is the largest and most detailed of all the known preparatory sketches that remain by Trego. The level of detail with which the horses are painted, as opposed to the relatively quick-sketched faces of the soldiers, is unusual, and is a particular trait that can be seen in the final work as well.

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858-1909) The Rebel Deflection (The Blue and the Gray)

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858-1909) The Rebel Deflection (The Blue and the Gray) Oil on canvas 24 1/4 x 36 in. (61.6 x 91.4cm) Provenance Collection of Walter E. Baum, Sellersville, Pennsylvania. By descent to his son, Robert "Bert" Baum, until 1992. Collection of Eleanor Paradee. Sotheby's, New York, sale of April 8, 2011, lot 39. Acquired directly from the above sale. Collection of Sydney F. and Sharon Martin, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The Estate of Sydney F. Martin. Exhibited "So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego," James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, June 3-October 2, 2011. Literature William T. Trego Catalogue Raisonné, James A. Michener Art Museum (accessed online at https://www.michenerartmuseum.org/catalogue/trego/, illustrated). Note As explained in the online Catalogue Raisonné of Trego's work: "The painting shows a small group of Confederate and Union cavalrymen engaged in very close combat. On the far left of the composition, a Rebel has been mortally wounded, perhaps by the sabre-wielding Yankee just head of him [which recalls the figure depicted in Lot 7], while on the right another Rebel is firing his pistol at the Union flag bearer at point blank range. Sketchy figures of other cavalrymen suggest that this is one small episode of a much larger event. The vignette of the foremost rider, arm and sabre upraised, framed against the rippling American flag, is one of Trego's most powerful images."

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858–1909) The Battle of Fair Oaks, Sumner's Reinforcements (May 31-June 1, 1862)

William Brooke Thomas Trego (American, 1858–1909) The Battle of Fair Oaks, Sumner's Reinforcements (May 31-June 1, 1862) Faintly signed 'W. T. Trego 1886' bottom right, oil on canvas 20 1/8 x 30 1/8 in. (51.1 x 76.5cm) Provenance Doyle, New York, sale of May 23, 2006, lot 1309. Acquired directly from the above sale. Collection of Sydney F. and Sharon Martin, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The Estate of Sydney F. Martin. Exhibited "Sixty-First Annual Exhibition," National Academy of Design, New York, New York, April 5-May 15, 1886. "So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego," James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, June 3-October 2, 2011. "The Painterly Voice: Bucks County's Fertile Ground," James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, October 22-April 1, 2012. Literature "The Autumn Academy," in The New York Times, November 21, 1886 (referenced). William T. Trego Catalogue Raisonné, James A. Michener Art Museum (accessed online at https://www.michenerartmuseum.org/catalogue/trego/, illustrated). Note The Battle of Fair Oaks, also known as the Battle of Seven Pines, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862 in Henrico County, Virginia and although deemed inconclusive on either side of the Union and the Confederates, it shaped the rest of the American Civil War in that it prompted General Lee's arrival. Here, Trego focuses on the intensity of the battle, which appears chaotic and confusing. The artist depicts General Edwin Vose Sumner’s five regiment reinfoircements at Fair Oaks, which they reached after crossing the almost-flooding Chickahominy River, and started to attack the Confederate lines with bayonets. The event had some importance to Trego, a proud Pennsylvanian, as the units are Philadelphia Zouaves. However, the Zouaves' trademark baggy trousers were red, and not blue as displayed here, a historic fact which Trego may have chosen to disregard in order to add more color to the scene while keeping it neutral. Although the soldiers are represented as a compact force moving abruptly towards the right hand-side of the canvas, almost every figure is individualized, which speaks to the artist's sympathy towards these military men and their efforts. On the left, we see a soldier falling to the ground, visibly shot, which calls the attention of the man in front of him, in the center of the composition, who dramatically turns to look behind. "Showing a soldier’s awareness that another has been shot was a device that Trego employed with regularity in his Civil War battle scenes," Joseph Eckhardt points out. He continues: "Not only does it call attention to the brutal facts of combat, but it also serves to suggest that the soldiers were constantly aware of the imminent peril they faced and potentially traumatized by the loss of their comrades in arms."

William B.T. Trego (American, 1858-1909)

William B.T. Trego (American, 1858-1909) The Charge of Custer at Winchester circa 1876 oil on canvas signed W.T. Trego / 1876 to lower right 28 x 40 inches. This lot is located in Cincinnati. Property from the Collection of Bloomington Public Library, Bloomington, Illinois This dynamic battle scene is believed to be The Charge of Custer at Winchester, also known as Custer's Charge at the Battle of Winchester or The Woodstock Races, the whereabouts of which were previously unknown. In the catalogue raisonné for William T. Trego, Joseph Eckhardt reproduces the following description of the painting: “The principal figure is, of course, the yellow-haired chieftain mounted on his blooded black charger, dashing across the field at the head of his regiment. His sword is raised high in air, and his face, which is a portrait, expresses all the fire and lofty courage and enthusiasm which characterized the man, and made him pre-eminent as a cavalry leader.” (The Cleveland Free Press, day and month unknown, 1879, as quoted in Abram Trego Shertzer, A Historical Account of the Trego Family [Baltimore: 1884], p. 71). Trego won an award for this work at the Michigan State Fair in Detroit in 1879, and the subsequent recognition helped launch his career as a preeminent American history painter. Provenance: Acquired by Adlai Ewing, New York and Bloomington, Illinois, circa 1880s; By donation, Bloomington Public Library, Bloomington, Illinois, circa 1888. Exhibited: Michigan State Fair, Detroit, Michigan, August/September 1879. Custer’s Last, or The Battle of the Little Big Horn in Picturesque Perspective, Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, Texas, 1968. Literature: Joseph Eckhardt, William T. Trego. Catalogue Raisonné. Doylestown, Pennsylvania: James A. Michener Art Museum, accessed 2023 via https://www.michenerartmuseum.org/catalogue/trego/.

WILLIAM BROOKE THOMAS TREGO, Pennsylvania, 1858-1909, "Mounted Cavalryman"., Oil on board, 13.5" x 16.5". Framed 19" x 25".

WILLIAM BROOKE THOMAS TREGO Pennsylvania, 1858-1909 "Mounted Cavalryman". Signed lower right "Trego". Identified on label verso for Vose Galleries, Boston. According to the consignor the work was originally purchased at N. Flayderman & Co. Oil on board, 13.5" x 16.5". Framed 19" x 25".

William T. Trego (American, 1859-1909) U.S. Calvary Preparing to Ride, 1883 Oil

William T. Trego (American, 1859-1909) U.S. Calvary Preparing to Ride, 1883 Oil on canvas laid on board 20 x 24 inches (50.8 x 61.0 cm) Signed, dated, and inscribed lower left: WTTrego / Philad 1883 PROVENANCE: Private collection, Portage, Indiana. HID01801242017

William Brooke Thomas Trego (1858-1909), artist. "Siege

William Brooke Thomas Trego (1858-1909), artist. "Siege and Barbette Guns, Rope Mantle and Oak Shutter, Fort Haskell, 1865," circa 1893. Oil on canvas and mounted on board, 30" x 24.5", framed to an overall size of 33.5" x 28", signed lower left "Wm. T. Trego". The painting is pictured and listed in the James A. Michener Art Museum's Catalogue Raisonné of William T. Trego's works. The catalogue states, "This was one of seven works commissioned by publisher George Barrie as illustrations for his monumental work The Army and Navy of the United States, published in Philadelphia, 1889-95. It was reproduced in section 6 as a 7½-by-6-inch black-and-white photogravure. A study for the figure pulling on the cannon wheel can be seen in a photo taken in Trego's studio in 1901." The sketch was known, but missing from the catalogue of Trego's works until the owner contacted the James A. Michener Art Museum in June of 2011. William B. T. Trego (1858 -1909), the son of the portrait painter Jonathan Trego, was born in Yardley, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. At the age of two, he was stricken with paralysis, probably due to polio, but in spite of this handicap he went on to become a noted painter of military subjects. When William was sixteen, the Tregos moved to Detroit, where the elder Trego established a studio at which William studied. With his mangled hands and partial paralysis, William Trego could barely write. Not to be deterred, he would jam his brush into his twisted right hand and press it against the canvas with his left. When he worked, it required all of his energy, he painted with his entire body. William's career was launched when the twenty-year old artist exhibited and sold his painting titled The Charge of Custer at Winchester at the Michigan State Fair. With the proceeds from the sale, he moved to Philadelphia to attend the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and study under Thomas Eakins. In 1887 Trego went to Paris, where he took classes from Tony Robert-Fleury and William Adolphe Bouguereau at the Academy Julian. He exhibited battle subjects at the Paris Salon in 1889 and 1890. Back in Philadelphia in 1890, Trego was hailed as "the American Detaille" for his many military paintings. His notable works include March to Valley Forge (1883) and Rescue of the Colors (1899). William Trego continued to paint until his death in 1909. Condition: Excellent.

WILLIAM TREGO - Winter Hills Above Sellersville

William Trego - Winter Hills Above Sellersville Inscibed on Back " A gift from Bill Trego to Hanne & Albert Dec 12, 1898" 18" w x12" h Exhibited Michener Art Museum

Trego, William T. 1858-1909, Pennsylvania, Cows Walking Home at Sunset. Oil on Canvas.

Trego, William T. 1858-1909, Pennsylvania, Cows Walking Home at Sunset. Oil on Canvas. Signed and dated "WT Trego 1906" in lower right. h:27 w:20 in.

Trego, William T. 1858-1909, Pennsylvania, Sketch of Civil War Union Soldier. Charcoal on Paper.

Trego, William T. 1858-1909, Pennsylvania, Sketch of Civil War Union Soldier. Charcoal on Paper. Signed "Drawn by WT Trego" in lower middle. h:19 w:11.50 in.

Trego, William T. 1858-1909, Pennsylvania, "Union Soldiers in Combat, 1895" or "Civil War Scene" Oil on Canvas.

Trego, William T. 1858-1909, Pennsylvania, "Union Soldiers in Combat, 1895" or "Civil War Scene" Oil on Canvas. Signed and dated "W.T. Trego 1895" in lower left. "F. Swartzlander 1895" on reverse. Included in the Michener Museum 2011 exhibit "William T. Trego Catalogue Raisonne". Provenance: The artist gifted the painting to Dr. Frank Swartzlander Sr. of Doylestown, PA It was inherited by Dr. Frank Swartzlander Jr. who passed it on to his daughters who then sold it to J. David Miller. h:17.50 w:24.50 in.

WILLIAM THOMAS TREGO

WILLIAM THOMAS TREGO 1859 - 1909 THE REBEL DEFLECTION oil on canvas 24 by 36 in. (60.9 by 91.9 cm.)

Cavalry Charge of the Union Army

William Brooke Thomas Trego (1859-1909) Cavalry Charge of the Union Army signed and dated 'W. Trego 1885' (lower left) oil on canvas 42¼ x 88¾ in. (107.3 x 220.3 cm.)

Cavalry Charge of the Union Army

William Brooke Thomas Trego (1859-1909) Cavalry Charge of the Union Army signed and dated 'W. Trego 1885' (lower left) oil on canvas 42¼ x 88¾ in. (107.3 x 220.3 cm.)

William Trego.

Portrait of Walter Emerson Baum, oil on canvas, 12" x 8", unsigned, provenance verso indicates Baum was a student of the artist, the work was created in 1903, and was included in an article in the November 1983 issue of Antiques Magazine (a copy of which will be sold with the piece). Artist: b. 1859, d. 1909, Pennsylvania. Condition: canvas laid down on board, reduced.

William T. Trego, American, 1859-1909, "The Woods", oil on board, 13 1/2" x 19", titled & signed verso also "Owned by Walter E. and Flora Baum"