Oil on canvas, 1931. 648x826 mm; 25 1/2x32 1/2 inches. Signed, inscribed and dated in oil, lower right recto.
The American scene painter Carl Brandien (1886-1965) described himself as a "vagabond artist," whose travels led him to his art. In 1930 he and his wife embarked on a journey across Western Europe and on to Hawaii, often blending the natural beauty of his paintings with local historical architectural elements, such as the late-14th century Saint Martin Bridge, which links Toledo to the West, in the present painting. Brandien re-settled in New York at the onset of World War II and began exhibiting his paintings at shows that were held at the Barbizon Plaza Art Gallery in conjunction with the 1939 World's Fair in New York. He received several commissions including those from the Friar's Club and Russian Club in New York, as well as from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who commissioned a series of Pacific and Atlantic Fleets, now in the Hyde Park presidential collection.
