Name/Title
Karlan, Gertrude (1901-1998) "Virginia Deer"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18189Tags
Gouache PaintingDescription
We see at close range a female of Odocoileus virginianus, also known as white-tailed deer. Their range encompasses most of the United States, and they are the most numerous of that family here. Karlan’s painting depends less upon its anatomical accuracy than the proximity at which we view a living Virginia deer; her effect is that of extending a short, but unforgettable, moment of beholding one in the wild before the deer raises its white tail in alarm, and then is gone.Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionCondition
Overall Condition
GoodDate Examined
Jul 26, 2025Notes
3+ cracks fine/along deer neck/left and right/eyes, nose, head, 5+ chips top of deer head/along left side of deer neck, 1 scratch on glass, middle bottomProvenance
Provenance Detail
Created under the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project (1930s–1940s), this collection of easel paintings was originally installed at the Mount Morris Tuberculosis Sanitorium in Livingston County, New York. Following the sanitorium’s closure in 1970, the artworks were abandoned and remained in storage until their rediscovery decades later. Now preserved and exhibited by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA), the collection is housed at the New Deal Museum in Mount Morris. Current efforts include digitization, high-resolution photography, and the creation of an online archive to ensure long-term public access and research availability.General Notes
Note Type
Cataloging NoteNote
See the entry titled 'New Deal Collection Documents' for supporting documents, and general historic and research information.
