European Art & Old Master Paintings

Note
Born in Germany, Carl Bauerle emigrated to Ohio at a young age, and was taught by his uncle stationed in Cincinnati. He later returned to Stuttgart to pursue a career as a portraitist of children, and a genre painter. The present work, as the title verso indicates, shows the Sywatter family upon their arrival in America - most likely Cincinnati. It is an interesting variation on the theme of an unfortunate European family seeking new chances in the westward expansion of America, as the artist himself experienced. The vision of the United States as a land of freedom and opportunity shone brightly among the poor populations of Europe, but remained a scarce theme in European Art. At the time the painting was created, immigration into the United States reached unprecedented heights, with 1,880,000 recorded passengers sailing from British ports alone between 1846 and 1855. An astute viewer can spot a couple of Native Americans in the background of the painting. Concealed in bushes, they target the newly-arrived family with their bows - a sign that expatriation abroad was not always a smooth transition.