Albert Webster Davies (1889-1967) Gouache on paper, signed lower left "Davies",, piece measures 6 x 8 and 9.25 x 11.25 inches w/ frame. Depicting Townscape with figures and a parade of men in top hats riding single wheel bicycles. Albert Webster Davies was born on a farm in Salem Depot, New Hampshire, in 1889 a relic of “a time in our American life now past.” Possessed with an inborn sense of design and feel for color, Davies constantly painted as a child and later worked as a window dresser and theater designer. He was briefly employed at a mental hospital where he befriended a patient, the landscape artist Albert Blakelock.Davies retired at the age of sixty-five and turned to painting full-time, seeking to record the treasured memories of his early life. Robert Carlen, the esteemed Philadelphia gallerist who was an early champion of Edward Hicks and Horace Pippin among others, began representing Davies shortly thereafter. In 1965 Davies secured a one-man show at Kennedy Galleries in New York, followed by a show at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Collection in Williamsburg. As noted in the literature accompanying the exhibition, Davies’ “appreciation of early American architecture, his knowledge of early textile design, his working knowledge of the construction of carriages, sleds, barns, bandstands, county-fair sheds, churches, and his deep sympathy for the human comedy in its pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, all combine to lend his charming pictures an element of documentary value.”

The absence of a condition report does not imply an object is free of defects. All items may have normal signs of age and wear commensurate with their age; these issues will likely not be mentioned in the condition report. Please contact the auction house before the auction with any condition questions. Questions about condition will not be answered after purchase. Condition reports are provided as a courtesy, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.
Important note on frames: Frames are not guaranteed to be in the same condition as they are in the item photograph. Due to handling and shipping, many frames, especially antique ones, are prone to losses. If you have questions about the condition of a frame, please contact us prior to the auction.