Name/Title
Powell, Arthur James Emery (1864-1956) "From the Mid-County Highway"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18241Tags
Oil PaintingDescription
The location of this painting isn’t clear: there’s no identifiable “mid-country highway,” and a “mid-county” highway in Maryland doesn’t seem to fit the landscape. Here, we look at hilly terrain under a cloudy sky that have rendered the mountaintops very dark. A driveway in the foreground leads to a road, whose unpaved status either renders Powell’s title somewhat ironic or implies that we are looking from a newer road upon this simpler tableau. A farm and fields is visible in the midground, and another further in the distance. The colors here all are muted fall earthtones, no blazing foliage.Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionMade/Created
Artist
Powell, James EmeryDate made
1935 - 1940Condition
Overall Condition
PoorDate Examined
Jul 31, 2025Notes
9+ chips left below fence post/building/field in middle right center, 3+ scratches large between fence posts veering towards sky/base of dark hill right to left, 1 hole top right centerRecommendations
requires cleaning and repairs for tearProvenance
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.
