Lot 89: Seth Eastman (1808-1875)

The Escape
signed and dated 'Seth Eastman 1875' (lower right)
oil on canvas
20 1/4 x 30 1/4 in. (51.4 x 76.8 cm.)

Daniel Grossman, New York.
Kennedy Galleries, New York.
Private collection, Chicago, Illinois.
Santa Fe Art Auction, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1994, lot 53.
Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Private collection, acquired from the above circa 1994.
By descent to the present owner.

Seth Eastman had a long and successful career as a painter, illustrator and army officer, retiring as a general after the Civil War. Following an education at West Point, Eastman was assigned to Fort Crawford on the Mississippi River for fours years where he documented Native American tribal gatherings from the surrounding area.

Throughout his career, Eastman recorded his subjects in a straightforward manner, documenting Native American life with precision and clarity. Conducive to travel, highly detailed watercolors and drawings are numerous from Eastman's long military service, whereas finished oil paintings are a rarity in the artist's oeuvre. The present work, The Escape, is a rare example from Eastman's career both for its choice in medium, and its choice of subject matter. Scholars believe the present work depicts an outpost in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, where Eastman spent his last active military service in commandment of the Harrodsburg Military Asylum. Although the specific scene depicted is elusive, The Escape provides a compelling account of pioneer life on the frontier.