HOWARD, JOHN LANGLEY. 1902-1999.
Magnetometer, 1958. Oil on masonite, 15 3/4 x 16 1/4 inches, signed ('John Howard Langley') at lower right corner, titled on verso.
Striking painting by Langley of an instrument used to measure both the strength and direction of a magnetic field and the magnetization of a specific material. The above work features a magnetometer high above the ground, obviously on an aircraft. Magnetometers are frequently employed in this manner for mineral exploration and to assist with map geology.

Howard, a San Francisco based artist known for his controversial socialist mural in Coit Tower, briefly studied engineering before pursuing art. Much of his work addresses the tension between technological development and the natural world. He also spent roughly a decade illustrating covers for the Scientific American.