J. Craig Thorpe (American, B. 1948) "Wisconsin Locomotive" Signed lower right. Original Oil painting on Paper.
Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
This painting is the original which appeared on the Fleetwood Legendary Locomotives of the 50 States Wisconsin Commemorative Cover postmarked November 25, 1994.
On November 27, 1892, curious onlookers scanned the eastern horizon at Kewaunee, Wisconsin, peering out over Lake Michigan to catch a glimpse of the Ann Arbor No. 1 as it approached, destined to become the first carferry to transport boxcars across that Great Lake. Although the Kewaunee, Green Bay & Western (KGB&W) had conceived this route to avoid the Chicago railyard bottleneck and serve as a more economical means of moving freight through this part of the Midwest, it was initially difficult to find shippers. Such a craning had never been attempted on an open body of water this size, thus many feared this mode of transportation was too risky. However, after the KGB&W pressured its fuel supplier to become its first customer, the Ann Arbor No. 1 carried four carloads of coal from Frankfort, Michigan, to Kewaunee on its maiden run to Wisconsin. After more than four hours of fitting the behemoth carrier to the Wisconsin harbor's apron, the Ann Arbor No. 1 unloaded its cargo and accepted 22 carloads of Pillsbury flour bound for England. This means of transportation ultimately became so successful that it significantly altered the rate structure for shipping flour and grain to the East. Displayed on this artwork is a depiction of the KGB&W's engine No. 36 loading freight cars onto the Ann Arbor No. 3 carferry at the Kewaunee harbor. This 2-6-0 Mogul type engine was built in 1909 by the American Locomotive Company.
Image Size: 14 x 12 in.
Overall Size: 18 x 15 in.
Unframed.
(B14931)
Condition
- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.
- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via WIRE TRANSFER, no other forms of payment will be accepted.
- All items are sold as-is where-is and no guarantees are made of any kind. All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.
- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.
- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com
- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through multiple online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.
- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be outbid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.
- Unless otherwise stated in the description, all items are sold without additional documentation or COAs. If any supporting documentation is available an image will be available online via the catalog listing.