Name/Title
Palter, Rebecca (1912-1998) "Fall Still Life"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18230Tags
Oil PaintingDescription
Two adjacent types of painting—still life and domestic “genre”—blur in this creatively arranged scene. At right, staples of the still life tradition like fruits, flowers, and drapery are displayed on a table. Yet there also is a child’s toy, and it seems the backdrop might be a blanket of some sort, trailing leftward to a radiator in the background. The domesticity and likely children implied by the toy is indicated by a sofa at left and wallpaper peeking out from behind the blanket; it’s an effective rendering of a woman artist working with her materials at hand.Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionDimensions
Height
23-1/2 inWidth
29-1/2 inCondition
Overall Condition
PoorDate Examined
Jul 30, 2025Notes
1 crack top center sunflower, 5+ lower left corner/lower middle apple/center sunflower left, 5 scratches upper left corner/lower right corner/middle left, 2 holes lower left middle, stains/warping/indent/wooden canvas frame pressing against lower right corner/throughout entirety/lower left corner edgesRecommendations
repairs needed: canvas slacking, holeProvenance
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.
