Frank E. Buffmire (c. 1910-c. 1965)
Duck Pond
Wisconsin: c. 1940s
Watercolor on paper
15 x 19.75 inches, overall
22 x 25.5 inches, framed
Signed lower right: “F. E. Buffmire ©”
Provenance: The F. H. Bresler Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
$750
Duck Pond - Wisconsin Watercolor
Frank E. Buffmire (fl. 1930s-1940s)
Frank E. Buffmire (fl. 1930s-1940s)
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Above, from left: Sheet with full margins set down to mat board, shown out of frame; artist's signature; original label verso. |
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Mallard ducks paddle across the water in this charming original watercolor of a marshy pond scene.
Frank E. Buffmire was a painter best known for his harbor and marine scenes in watercolor, murals and museum exhibition backdrops and graphics. Born in Wisconsin, he went to high school in Oconomowoc. Buffmire was a graduate of the Laton School of Art, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He did mural paintings for the Post Office in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, under the New Deal art program, and historical murals for the Chickamauga Battlefield National Military Park Administration Building in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He produced a diorama background painting for the Custer National Military Park in Montana, and was also Chief Exhibits Designer for the National Park Service Museum Branch in Washington, D.C. circa the 1950s, during which time he lived in Virginia. There Buffmire and his team helped design methods of displaying maps, charts, labels and objects outdoors using various materials. His other commissions during that era included botanical panels for the Garden Club of America's national headquarters.
Original label verso: The F. H. Bresler Co./ Milwaukee, Wis. U. S. A./ Title: Duck Pond/ Artist: Frank Buffmire/ Description/ Original Watercolor
The F. H. Bresler Co. was opened in 1882 in Milwaukee and quickly became Milwaukee’s premier gallery for original artwork. It is currently still in business.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual light overall toning and wear. Set down to mat board, probably as issued. Some glue residue to upper edge from former attachment to mat, though easily matted out as offered. Mat and backboard somewhat acidic but apparently stable.
References:
"Bresler Eitel History." Bresler Eitel Art & Framing Gallery. http://www.breslergallery.com/aboutus.html (29 November 2005).
"The Museum Branch: 1947-1964." National Park Service. http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/curatorship/pdf/4.2.pdf (29 November 2005).