Edward Willis Redfield 1869 - 1965

Alexander Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1984

(probably) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Art Club of Philadelphia, Catalogue of Paintings by Edward W. Redfield, November-December 1920, no. 22
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Woodmere Art Museum, Exhibition of Paintings and Crafts by Edward W. Redfield, November 1959, no. 58
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, William Penn Memorial Museum, A Retrospective Exhibition of the Work of the Great American Impressionist, Edward Willis Redfield of Pennsylvania, March-May 1973, no. 32
Vero Beach, Florida, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Masters of Light: Selections of American Impressionism from the Manoogian Collection, January-April 2006, no. 30, pp. 111, 113, illustrated pp. 110, 112 (detail)

According to Tom Folk, "Road to the River depicts early spring in the Delaware Valley from the Pennsylvania side, with New Jersey hills on the viewer's left. A girl walks along a path accompanied by two ducks; trees are just beginning to blossom. The girl may be one of the painter's two daughters, Louise and Elise. Dating the painting is somewhat problematic. "Road to the River" was one of Redfield's favorite titles, and he used it for at least four other paintings depicting different seasons and locales, especially during the 1920s. It is possible that this painting was executed around 1920 and exhibited in that year. Although a rare few were done earlier, Redfield began painting spring scenes in the late teens. This painting depicts a scene very close to River Road, which actually parallels the Delaware River. It was probably painted in the vicinity of Point Pleasant, where the artist had a studio" (Masters of Light: Selections of American Impressionism from the Manoogian Collection, Vero Beach, Florida, 2006, p. 113).