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William Buck hunt painting

(William Henry Buck, Louisiana, 1840-1888), fox hunting scene [The Run] with Samuel Henry Buck and his wife Ann Fleming Buck on horseback jumping a stream, signed lower right "Wm. H. Buck, N.O. 81.", oil on canvas, 23-3/4 x 34-1/4 in.; 20th century gilt wood and composition French style frame. Original stretcher and tacking edge, retouch at patch center and horse's cheek, crackle, light grime; frame with abrasions, separations. Provenance: Property of a Descendant of Samuel Henry Buck of New Orleans, Louisiana. Reserve: $18,000 This group of four paintings represent a unique and perhaps unknown facet to the oeuvre of William Henry Buck. Samuel Henry Buck (no relation to William Buck) was an influential figure in New Orleans politics and commerce. Settling in New Orleans in 1865, he became a partner in the cotton firm of Morrison, Buck & Company. He was a charter member of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange and moved into politics as a member of the Louisiana Legislature (1876-78). Of special note is his position as Director General of the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition of New Orleans in 1884. In 1885 he was appointed Postmaster General of New Orleans by President Cleveland. William Buck, an emigrant from Norway, settled in New Orleans in 1860. He became a pupil of Richard Clague, an important landscape and portrait painter. To support himself, he worked in the cotton business. It is tempting to hypothesize it was at this point that the two Bucks, Samuel and William, met. Their acquaintance must have continued when William Buck exhibited in the Exposition. No portraits signed by William Buck have been identified until now. The fox hunting scenes are derived from [The Start] and [The Run] by John Frederick Herring, Sr. (1795-1865) and are likely extracted from the printed source published by E. Gambart & Co., London. These paintings have become portraiture in that the central figures' heads are clearly replaced with those of Samuel and Annie Buck. The two traditional portraits, known to be the Bucks, help to identify the sitters in the fox hunting scenes. It is probable that the affluent Bucks commissioned these scenes to reflect their interest in the favored sport of the American gentry. Fox hunting spread from early Virginia and Maryland and by the end of the 19th century it was so popular that foxes nearly became extinct. Samuel Buck, a native of Virginia, could possibly have experienced fox hunts there or even in Louisiana where foxes were released expressly for organized hunts. The traditional portraits are unsigned but cannot escape the question that Buck may have painted portraits for special clients much like his teacher, Richard Clague. William Buck is of seminal importance to Louisiana landscape painting. This group of paintings suggest a link to influential New Orleans patrons who commissioned other types of works from him. They are an important document of the artist's virtuosity and the cultural tastes of society in the deep south.

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