Name/Title
Preachen, William (1905-1958) "Still Life on a Balcony"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18246Tags
Oil PaintingDescription
In its objects, architecture, and visual style, this painting gestures back to earlier centuries of allegorical still lifes. On this side of an ornate railing, the seeming bounty is undermined by intimations of suffering (gladiolus), overconsumption (a bowl of fruit), and ephemerality (a lute). Red drapery spills upon an ornate floor. Beyond this balcony, the world, in quite a problematic state at the time. Preachen’s treatment of space renders the foreground and background discontinuous; in fact, how do we know it’s not a painting backdrop?Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionCondition
Overall Condition
GoodDate Examined
Jul 31, 2025Notes
22+ chips across sky/flowers on right/bottom right/2 on lute/top of railing, 1 scratch on tile floor by leg, 1 hole by skyline above fruit basket, stains lower right on vase/lower center right on red clothRecommendations
requires cleaningProvenance
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.
