Lot 789: Matthew Hastings (American, 1834-1919) "In Arcadia", c. 1870; oil/canvas, 22" x 18", signed. Early

St Louis historical painter. Hastings was born in Georgetown, D.C., and moved to St Louis in 1840. There he befriended George Bingham and Charles Wimar, before traveling to Dusseldorf to study in 1848. He returned to St Louis and painted scenes in and around the city. Arcadia, a small Ozark town south of the city was a popular destination for artists. In 1871, Hastings joined the expedition of Father DeSmet into the Upper Missouri Valley, making sketches of the trip and the indians. Hastings exhibited at the St Louis Art Museum and the Artist Guild, and there is a large collection of his work at the Missouri Historical Society. This is an early and important example of St Louis painting. Works by this artist rarely come up at auction.