Lot 210: GRIDER, RUFUS ALEXANDER

Watercolor of Thomas Plowman's 1759 powder horn signed ("R.A. Grider of Canajoharie N.Y. July 9th,1889"), (9 3/4 x 13 1/4 in.;250 x 335 mm); some spotting and light soiling; framed

NOTE

Thomas Ploughman's powder horn. Rufus Grider's watercolor of Thomas Ploughman's 1759 powder horn contains a lengthy note in pencil at the lower right corner explaining the provenance of the powder horn. The note reads: "The Thos. Ploughman. A Powder Horn found in a field in Seneca Co. N.Y. many years since by a man who kept it as long as he lived. it had the mark of a bullet upon it which shattered the nossle. it was cut off by him. after his death it was owned by a son by I.W PROCTOR who gave it Geo. H. Myers of Geneva, N.Y., its present owner. here the vessel has been restored. Rufus A. Grider."

A noted historian, lecturer, writer and artist, Rufus Grider moved to the Mohawk Valley from Pennsylvania and became keenly interested in the local history of the area. He wrote numerous articles, collected artifacts, copied old documents and was instrumental in the preservation and restoration of landmark structures. The Grider Collection at the New York State Archives includes hundreds of watercolor sketches of the area and no less than twenty-five drawings and watercolors of powder horns.