Name/Title
Print: Country Life 57-3, Set of SixDescription
A set of six silkscreen prints on linen. Most are six colors, one is five colors (see notes below). The men and women are clothed in Pennsylvania “Dutch” garb. All are performing tasks necessary to successful farm life.
From top left in photo:
1. Harvest: a farmer in a fringed buckskin coat holds a scythe and stands amongst symbols of harvest season: a shock of wheat, dried corn, a sheep with shears, and a jug for cider. Zodiac symbols follow a crescent moon through the sky above, a nod to The Farmers Almanac. (Six colors)
2. Gardening: a woman tends a newly planted garden in spring. A radiant sun shines overhead as a bird scouts its new home in a birdhouse. A fanciful topiary is planted in a wooden bucket. (Six colors)
3. Splitting Wood: a man in a barnyard splits a log, a pile of split wood at his feet. A rooster stands guard on an adjacent fence post. (Six colors)
4. Candlemaking: a woman seated in a spindle back chair dips candles in a vat of melted wax. Beyond, candles harden on a rod resting on two chair backs. A variation of this print was also produced on a tile. (Six colors)
5. Woodworking: a man planes a large piece of wood in a workshop, with tools of the trade surrounding him, a finished piece of furniture beyond on the right and a cast iron stove to keep warm in winter behind him. (Six colors)
4. Spinning: a woman spins yarn at a spinning wheel. A tall candle stand is at left. A framed painting of a building with an onion dome hangs on the wall beyond. (Five colors, omits green)
These prints may have been designed as early as 1950, but were included in the Country Prints line as framed prints and notecards beginning in the mid-1950’s and continuing into the 1960’s.
This set of prints is listed in the January 1960 Country Prints price list, and appears in the c.1960 brochure “Country Prints in Frames Designed by Robert Darr Wert”. Prints were produced in a choice of antique birch or flat black frames.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Robert Darr WertRole
ArtistManufacturer
Country PrintsDate made
circa 1956Time Period
20th CenturyPlace
Location
Gill MA.Continent
North AmericaNotes
For the four framed prints in image number two: Unlike most of Wert’s studio framed prints, these four examples are not dry mounted to chipboard. Instead they appear to be tacked onto a backing board along the top edge of the linen, similar to the way Country Print Notes notecards were assembled (see last imgage). Prints are matted with brown painted cardboard and backed with corrugated cardboard printed with the Country Prints story, and secured to Country Prints natural wood frames with staples. Cleated hanging hardware is affixed at top back of frames.Inscription/Signature/Marks
For the four framed prints in image two: prints are unsigned, but the back of each frame bears the Country Prints story imprint.Dimensions
Dimension Description
Prints, exclusive of framesHeight
6 inWidth
4 inDimension Description
FramesHeight
8-1/2 inWidth
6-1/2 inDepth
1-1/2 inColors
Color
Brick Red, Yellow Ochre, Brown, Blue, Green, BlackColor Notes
Candlemaking print omits green.
