Specific farms

Is this what you call photographic memory?

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Whether it’s from memory (like Rorhella) or from a photograph, Margit did some of her best work when recreating an actual farm.

  • ID = X “Rorhella”
  • Detail = Watercolor on paper / __x__

Rorhella is the first place that Margit and Palmer bought, so it holds special meaning to the artist. Unfortunately the bought it just before the Depression—and lost it to the bank. A couple decades later it was one of Margit’s first watercolors.

  • ID: 62-34 “A Dahl Home”
  • Detail: 18″ x 30″ / Orig price: $7.50 / 1st owner: A Dahl
  • Comment: Margit was going for super-realism in this translation into paint from a photograph.

  • ID: 62-31 “Old Homestead”
  • Detail: 18″ x 24″ / Orig price: $7 / 1st owner Mrs Whitehouse
  • Comment: This painting is too realistic to not be based on an actual place. When Margit painted her typical generic landscapes, she usually included pretty unspecific buildings.

  • ID: 66-19 “Thou preparest a Table” — The Olson farm, Looney Valley
  • Detail: 18″ x 24″ / framed & gifted / 1st owner: E&M Olson
  • Comment: Margit’s daughter Ellen wasn’t the only one of her children to go into farming. Ellen’s farm in nearby Looney Valley was a familiar sight to Margit.

  • ID: 69-08 “Wilson’s Farm”
  • Detail: 16″ x 20″ / Orig price: $5 / Initial owner: M. Wilson
  • Comment: Besides buying (probably requesting) a painting of their farm, the Wilsons bought the similarly sized “Herford cattle” (69-09) at the same time.

  • ID: 72-34 “Paul Ivorsons home” [spelling?]
  • Detail: 16″ x 20″ / Orig price: $15 / …

Others?

  • ID: 72-19 “Hesby Home”
  • ID: X “Landsverk home with chickens”