Watercolor and gouache. 6 1/4 x 9 in. This intimate watercolor and gouache piece departs from Hassam’s cityscapes, and instead focuses on North Bend, a small town in Eastern Nebraska. It is possible that Hassam made this work while traveling, as it is made on the back of a page of a Farmer’s Almanac. In addition to his decidedly Impressionistic brushstrokes, Hassam conveys the flatness of the landscape before him by using subtle shading and flat stacks of color for the fields and the sky. Understated, especially when compared to his paintings and watercolors depicting rocky, coastal landscapes, North Bend, Nebraska presents a quaintness. Hassam’s earthy hues of beige, brown and terracotta red, as well as his quick, loopy outlines, make for a wonderful scene that he may have painted from the window of a moving train.

Provenance: The artist, 1908; (Childe Hassam), Mr. Harry G. Salsinger, Detroit, Michigan, by 1925-58; (Mr. Harry G. Salsinger) to his son, Mr. Harry G. Salsinger, Jr., Northville, Michigan, 1958-76; (Mr. Harry G. Salsinger, Jr.) to the estate of Harry G. Salsinger, Jr., 1976; (Mr. Harry G. Salsinger, Jr.) to sale, DuMouchelle Art Galleries, Detroit, Michigan, October 27, 1976; (Du Mouchelle Art Galleries) to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Windorf, Mt. Clemens, Michigan, 1976-82; (Mr. Paul Windorf) to [sale, Stalker & Boos, Birmingham, Michigan, 1982, bought in]; (Stalker & Boos) to Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth J. Lay, Sr., Toledo, Ohio, 1982-2010; (Mr. Kenneth Lay) to the estate of Kenneth J. Lay, Sr.