"Wadsworth Barn, Hartford, CT" by Edward J. Balthazar, Amer., (1890-1956)

Etching, 1945, Ed. of 112, 1949 Presentation Print published by the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, 7-15/16 x 9-15/16, signed  in the plate, and signed, and dedicated "To Geo and Phil Davidson"in pencil, on cream laid paper.  For years I believed this print showed Harriet Beecher Stowe's Barn in Hartford, CT, but no evidence supported this. The cataloguing notes for an impression of this print at the New Britain Museum of American Art set me straight, giving the title as Wadsworth Barn. A search for Wadsworth Barn revealed this Barn, or Stable as it is called, was moved in 1994 from the historic Daniel Wadsworth property in Hartford, adjacent to the Wadsworth Atheneum, to the town of Lebanon, CT, where it is now maintained by the D.A.R., and resides in Traveler's Square next to the Jonathan Trumbull House. It is the structure at left in Balthazar's etching, with the distinctive arch over the double doors and the federalist peak in the top left corner. I've confirmed this from photographs and am much relieved to resolve any confusion regarding the subject and proper title of this Balthazar etching. Wadsworth Barn is the only etching by the artist known to have been issued in a commissioned edition by an institution. Edward J. Balthazar was a well respected Waterbury based lawyer, who had a life-long passion and talent for art. In his youth Balthazar graduated from Yale in 1915 with a degree in Law, but also studied in New York at the Art Student's League with George Bellows. Bellows thought so highly of his work that he helped arrange Balthazar's first solo exhibition. Here,  Balthazar has given us an tranquil view of this historic property originally in Hartford, CT.  Prints by Balthazar were exhibited in the Mattatuck Museum's 2009 exhibit "Travelers Tales", dedicated to the work of American printmakers with ties to Connecticut, and were recently the focus of an online exhibition on the Museum's website. Marc Chabot Fine Arts has a particular interest in works by Balthazar.