BARTON STONE HAYS (AMERICAN, 1826-1914) FOLK ART STILL-LIFE, oil on board, depicting a cluster of blue-purple flowers with green leaves on a table, dark monochromatic background with faint texture, signed "B.S. Hays" in lower right corner. Housed in a gilt-molded frame. Late 19th/early 20th century. 11 5/8" x 8 5/8" sight, 15 3/4" x 12 3/4" OA.
Very good condition with scattered inpainting and a few flakes to paint. Frame with minor wear.
Provenance: The collection of the late Theodore "Ted" and Alvina Breckel, Oley, PA and Winnetka, IL.
Catalogue Note: Born in Greenville, Ohio, Barton Stone Hays was a self-taught artist known for his portraits, landscapes, and still-life paintings. As an abolitionist, he gained notoriety after painting two panoramas relating to "Uncle Tom's Cabin". While in Indianapolis, Hays tinted photographs and painted over enlarged prints in partnership with the daguerreotypist William Runnion. Also during that time, he worked at the McLean's Female Seminary in addition to teaching students privately, including John Washington Love and William Merrit Chase. He was commissioned and completed a portrait of former Indiana Governor and 9th U.S. President, William Henry Harrison (1773-1841), which is a part of the Indiana Governors' Portraits Collection, begun by Governor Conrad Baker in 1869. Hays moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1882 and focused his attention on still-life paintings.

Very good condition with scattered inpainting and a few flakes to paint. Frame with minor wear.