Sailors At The Dock, Oil On Panel, American Expressionist, Early 20th Century

Sailors at Dock, oil on panel, Expressionist, early 20th century. The corners of the panel are worn, and some small losses are visible along the edges. A label is affixed to the back of the work: French's Artist Board, the translation of which is provided below. This is a patent filed and sold by E.F. French in New York for prepared wooden panels intended for painters. In the background, a battleship appears, which could resemble, though not definitively, the USS Texas, commissioned on March 12, 1914.

Little is known about Evelyn F. French. A patent relating to her artist's panel indicates that the patent application was filed on August 6, 1878, and the patent was granted on June 29, 1880. In his patent justification, French explained that the cross-grain gluing of the veneers ensured the dimensional stability of the panel, even when subjected to extreme variations in temperature and humidity. Before the panel was sold, its surface was likely primed with oiled lead white, as mentioned in its patent justification. These panels were sold exclusively in the United States until the early 1940s.