Name/Title
Pattterson, Claude A. (1887-1973) "Sea Life"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18231Tags
WatercolorDescription
We behold at least a dozen distinct plants and animals as a flattened tapestry whose weave isn’t simply metaphorical: the warp of vertical plants and rising bubbles is complemented by a weft of horizontal “currents” visualized for the painting. Although it’s quite likely most viewers would know such sea life only through the glass of an aquarium, Patterson effaces all traces of artifice in the service of an even deeper one: a blue-shifted, underwater world.Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionMade/Created
Artist
Patterson, Claude A.Date made
1937Dimensions
Height
22-1/2 inWidth
19-1/2 inCondition
Overall Condition
FairDate Examined
Jul 30, 2025Notes
lots of holes around edges, warp, needs to be mattedRecommendations
needs frame, mat, glassProvenance
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.
