portrait of a doylestown, ohio farm
by edward lewis ott
Signed lower right: Sketched Oct 9 1899 By EL Ott Doylestown O
For Edward Lewis Ott (1871-1932) of Doylestown, Ohio
Graphite on paper, walnut and gilt frame
42” x 28.5”
Paper watermarked: KEUFFEL & ESSER & Co. universal
The delightful pencil drawing is a portrait of a livestock farm with cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. A farmhouse with curtained windows is surrounded by a yard with a pergola and an outhouse, with an orchard in the background. On the right is a traditional barn and several smaller outbuildings and a “Fair Banks” livestock scale which frame the barnyard. The portrait is a lively image of a working farm at the turn of the 20th century.
Edward Lewis Ott born 1871 in Chippewa Township and began drawing at an early age. At age 17 he met Ferdinand Brader while Brader was sketching a succession of farms along Portage Road, where Ott lived, including the farm of Jacob Dohner, a neighbor of the Ott family. It is believed that Brader took on Ott as a student and taught him to draw in the same style and scale. What is known is that within a few years of Brader’s temporary residence, Ott’s work closely resembled that of Brader, including the level of detail and the unique perspective.
In 1900 the census shows Ott living in Doylestown as an artist. The 1910 Census shows him in Akron with his wife Anna Yost as a commercial artist and in 1920 as an “advertising artist”. He died in Akron in 1932.
For Edward Lewis Ott (1871-1932) of Doylestown, Ohio
Graphite on paper, walnut and gilt frame
42” x 28.5”
Paper watermarked: KEUFFEL & ESSER & Co. universal
The delightful pencil drawing is a portrait of a livestock farm with cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. A farmhouse with curtained windows is surrounded by a yard with a pergola and an outhouse, with an orchard in the background. On the right is a traditional barn and several smaller outbuildings and a “Fair Banks” livestock scale which frame the barnyard. The portrait is a lively image of a working farm at the turn of the 20th century.
Edward Lewis Ott born 1871 in Chippewa Township and began drawing at an early age. At age 17 he met Ferdinand Brader while Brader was sketching a succession of farms along Portage Road, where Ott lived, including the farm of Jacob Dohner, a neighbor of the Ott family. It is believed that Brader took on Ott as a student and taught him to draw in the same style and scale. What is known is that within a few years of Brader’s temporary residence, Ott’s work closely resembled that of Brader, including the level of detail and the unique perspective.
In 1900 the census shows Ott living in Doylestown as an artist. The 1910 Census shows him in Akron with his wife Anna Yost as a commercial artist and in 1920 as an “advertising artist”. He died in Akron in 1932.