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Lot Essay
Jefferson David Chalfant was born in Pennsylvania in 1856, where he initially studied to be a cabinet maker. By 1883, Chalfant had shifted his focus to painting, establishing a studio in Delaware. The artist was primarily known for his trompe l'oeil and genre scenes.
The Old Shoemaker relates to a large-scale work of about 1900 (private collection). Each depicts David R. Myers, who ran a cobbler's shop for over 30 years in Delaware and was a Union Civil War veteran. The present work further exhibits extraordinary intricacy, facilitated by the copper support, as well as clever background details. On the wall behind Myers, for example, hangs the Currier & Ives print Blue Monday, which shows a housewife belaboring her idle cobbler husband, perhaps encouraging the diligent shoemaker to remain steadfast in his work.
The Old Shoemaker relates to a large-scale work of about 1900 (private collection). Each depicts David R. Myers, who ran a cobbler's shop for over 30 years in Delaware and was a Union Civil War veteran. The present work further exhibits extraordinary intricacy, facilitated by the copper support, as well as clever background details. On the wall behind Myers, for example, hangs the Currier & Ives print Blue Monday, which shows a housewife belaboring her idle cobbler husband, perhaps encouraging the diligent shoemaker to remain steadfast in his work.