Jacob Stauffer (1808-1880)

Inscribed recto, ink: Homestead of Jacob H. Landis, / From a sketch taken by Jacob Stauffer, July 17, 1879, during a visit, in company with Dr. S. S. Rathvon, / and enjoyed the kind hospitality of their host and his famiy. Presented in commemoration of that / day by the humble delin [eat]or, not as a matter of skill or beauty—but as a token off and memories. / July 22,1879, aged [crossed out] in his 71 year of age, Lancaster, Pa.

Ed and Mildred Bohne, Newmanstown, Pennsylvania, 1970

"Folk Art Revealed," New York, American Folk Art Museum, November 16, 2004-August 23, 2009
"Compass: Folk Art in Four Directions," New York, The South Street Seaport Museum, June 20-October 7, 2012

Bishop, Robert. Folk Painters of America, New York: E.P. Dutton, 1979, pl. 38
American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 92, fig. 58

Some minor discoloration and loss in bottom line of inscription.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Hand-rendered floral, still-life, and landscape drawings were often created as thank-you gifts or tokens of esteem to mark special events or acknowledge cherished friends, and this practice grew in popularity during the Victorian period. This personalized drawing depicts the artist and his travel companion in conversation with their host on the front porch of the host's main residence. It also records the remarkable late eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century residences and farm buildings that still stand along Pennsylvania State Route 999 near the present town limits of Lancaster.

As the turnpike system expanded into the farming communities and agrarian townships of southeastern Pennsylvania, the locations of roads often influenced the layout and configuration of farm buildings, residences, and entire townscapes. Some roads were laid out to accommodate-but preserve-existing residences or farm buildings, while new farms were often located near the roadside to facilitate better marketing and transport of farm goods and supplies. Jacob Stauffer's drawing records the farm of Jacob H. Landis which was situated along such a roadway.

Stauffer was a general storekeeper, artist, printer, pharmacist, lawyer, amateur botanist, and daguerreotypist whose multiple business enterprises placed him in a position of prominence and notoriety in the town of Richland (now Mount Joy), in Lancaster County. He later moved to Lancaster and was appointed librarian of the Lancaster Athenaeum. He married Eliza Ryder in 1833, and the two formed an amazing alliance of equality for the period, keeping diaries and a daily account of their joint activities, which included experimenting in animal husbandry and new methods of orchard keeping, running a grist mill, brick making, house construction, and extensive horseback travels to visit family, friends, and colleagues. This heartfelt drawing probably records one such visit. -J.L.L.