J. D. Sorver (American, 1825-1904), Chickens and Rooster in a Barn

oil on canvas, signed at lower right, retains partial label for a Philadelphia artist's materials dealer to verso, presented in a period frame with later green paint and gilt liner.
Stretcher size 12 x 16 in.; Frame dimensions 16 x 20 in.
An article published in the Los Angeles Herald, October 11, 1904 mourned the passing of J. D. Sorver, "the famous painter of the commonest of the barnyard fowls - the chicken - that line of art has lost a zealous worker and an enthusiastic admirer of the pictures of chickens." After a successful career as a tobacconist in Philadelphia, Sorver decided to raise chickens in his retirement. Fascinated by the animals, he started to paint them in their barnyard environs and developed a large following of admirers for his paintings.

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Yellowing varnish; no evidence of retouch visible under UV light; minor chipping to frame.