RARE EDWARD LANGE 1846-1912 AMERICAN FOLK ART, LONG ISLAND NY Signed 1880

Rare EDWARD LANGE American Folk Art Drawing/PaintingLong Island NY Artist Signed Dated 1880 plus the book «Edward Lange’s Long Island»American artist Edward Lange 1846-1912Signed and dated lower right.Watercolor, ink and gouache on paper.We took the piece out of the frame to examine it and found that the paper is watermarkedwith the name «Whatman 1878″.The edges of the paper have very slight foxing5 1/4″ x 11 3/4″. It is framed in an Eastlake frame that has some wear.Overall size is 8 1/4″ x 14 3/4».The scene is of several buildings, a train, horse and buggies and people walking.One building has a sign that reads «Store» and to the right of that is a horse drawn omnibuswith North Port written on the side. On the bottom «A. D. Smith» is written in block letters.The area resembles the Saint James depot.It is probably on what is now called the Port Jefferson line of the Long Island Railroadwhere Lange is known to have painted a number of stations.Quality examples of Lange’s work rarely come to the market.When a Lange came up at South Bay auctions in 1998, it set a record for Edward Lange at $26,400. In addition to the drawing/painting, there is the softcover bookentitled «Edward Lange’s Long Island». 67 pages, bibliography, notes,illustrations with 76 color and b&w reproductions of the artist’s paintings and drawings. Edward Lange (1846- 1912) was born in Germany and emigrated to New Yorkwith his family sometime in the 1860’s. By 1870 Lange and his wife, Susan Denton of Brooklyn,were living in Elwood, Long Island. He was probably self taught but influenced by artists and printsproduced by them during the 1860’s and 1870’s including James Bard, Jurgen Fredrick Huge,Currier and Ives, George Durrie and Louis Prang. He can be credited with recordingthe landscape and townscape of Long Island before its period of tremendous growthin the 1880’s. His attention to detail gives insight into the architecture, daily life, business activitiesand agriculture of rural Long Island. His watercolors and drawings capture both the bucolicand nostalgic character of Long Island on the cusp of change and the coming of the iron horsewhich stimulated business and tourism.