Henry Farny (American/Cincinnati, 1847-1916)
Earl of Dunraven and Guide
gouache on paper
Signed and dated 98, l.r.
With artist's "bullseye" remarque
labels to verso

14" x 10" (sight)
20" x 16.25" (framed)

 

PROVENANCE

The Estate of Nancy DeCourcy Evans, Cincinnati, OH
This work was gifted directly from the artist to Dr. Carroll DeCourcy (Cincinnati, 1883–1961). The two were friends, and DeCourcy served as Farny’s physician. At some point, the painting was offered in exchange for medical care. Farny also painted a mural at the DeCourcy home, in the East Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati.

 

EXHIBITED

The Indian Hill Historical Museum Association, 1975
Exhibited by the above from the C.M. Russell Gallery (C.M. Russell Foundation, Inc.), with label to verso


LITERATURE
"Henry Farny", exhibition catalogue, Indian Hill Historical Museum Association, 1975. Plate 71.

 

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LOT ESSAY

 

Henry Farny's picturesque subjects of the American West gained great acclaim during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His knack for capturing expansive Western landscapes, with a "lemon sky" and meticulous detail, were often laden with Native American subjects in the foreground, or some impending conflict related to the closure of the great Western Frontier. Farny was so highly regarded that he was a a featured judge in the Chicago World's Exposition in 1893, and had a national clientele.

This subject is particularly interesting, depicting the Earl of Dunraven, who provided a fascinating footnote in Colorado history- specifically Estes Park. Windham-Wyndham Quin (1841-1926), was the 4th Earl of Dunraven, located in Wales, and was an adventurous hunter, soldier, politician, and all around colonialist-tempered fellow of royal descent. He claimed 15,000 acres is what is now current Estes Park, Colorado in 1874, ultimately building a tourist hotel. He spent considerable time there big game hunting and planning for the area, but eventually sold off the land after many claims from settlers, as he had difficulty litigating from a distance.

It seems logical that Farny would have found himself in the company of the Earl of Dunraven. He made several trips to the American West, beginning in the 1880s, and covered the Transcontinental Railroad. His most iconic work- "The Song of the Talking Wire" (Taft Museum, Cincinnati), depicts a lone Native American in a stark winter landscape leaning against a newly constructed telegraph wire, a sign of the changing frontier. The Earl of Dunraven made an effort to bend Estes Park to his will, and would have been active in the area during Farny's visits to the West. It is a pristine, fine example of the artist's work, during the height of his career.

 

 

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by Caza Sikes
February 19, 2025 11:00 AM EST
3078 Madison Rd
Cincinnati, OH, US 45209

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