Artwork
View of Benjamin Reber's Farm

View of Benjamin Reber's Farm is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Charles C. Hofmann. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Charles C.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: C. Hofmann Painter 1872; lower right: VIEW of BENJAMIN REBER'S FARM, / in Lower Heidelberg Township, / Berks County Pa. / taken from the North-Side.
About this work
A house and a tree on Benjamin Reber's farm. Hofmann painted the scene in 1872, keeping the house as the focus. The tree sits off to one side, adding depth.
Subject & Meaning
As a work of the landscape genre, the piece functions as a topographical record of a specific agricultural property rather than an allegorical scene.
Charles C. Hofmann's 1872 oil painting presents a landscape view of Benjamin Reber's farm, situated in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The composition focuses on rural architecture and nature, specifically depicting a house and trees as the primary visual elements. As a work of the landscape genre, the piece functions as a topographical record of a specific agricultural property rather than an allegorical scene.
The available documentation identifies the subject strictly as the farmstead itself, emphasizing the physical structures and surrounding vegetation without attributing additional symbolic meaning or broader representational significance beyond its function as a depiction of a specific location.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1872, this landscape is an oil painting on canvas support. The work measures 64 cm in height by 88.5 cm in width. Stylistically, the composition focuses on a rural scene, formally depicting a house and trees within the frame.
As a piece classified within the landscape genre, the artist utilized oil paint to render these architectural and natural elements. The physical object remains extant within the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where its material construction of pigment on woven fabric is preserved.
History & Provenance
View of Benjamin Reber's Farm was painted by Charles C. Hofmann in 1872 in oil on canvas. The work is associated with Berks County, Pennsylvania, where the depicted farm was located. Its early ownership history before the mid-twentieth century is not recorded in the available documentation.
In 1951 the painting was purchased by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who subsequently gave it to the National Gallery of Art in 1955, where it has remained in the collection since.
View of Benjamin Reber's Farm is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The painting entered the institution in 1955 as a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, who had purchased the work in 1951. Prior to this acquisition, the piece was recorded as originating from Berks County, Pennsylvania. The provided sources confirm the work's current location and its transfer history through the Garbisch donation, though specific inventory or accession numbers are not listed in the available records.
Legacy
View of Benjamin Reber's Farm, painted by Charles C. Hofmann in 1872, exemplifies 19th‑century American landscape art through its depiction of a rural Pennsylvania scene featuring a house and a tree. Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 64 cm by 88.5 cm and belongs to the landscape genre. After being owned in Berks County, Pennsylvania, it entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., following its purchase in 1951 by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch and a 1955 donation.
Its inclusion in the museum’s collection has ensured ongoing scholarly attention to Hofmann’s contribution to early American landscape painting.
Overview
Charles C. Hofmann's 1872 oil painting, "View of Benjamin Reber's Farm," presents a rural landscape. This canvas captures a specific property, highlighting a central house and a prominent tree. The work exemplifies the artist's approach to depicting local scenery, offering a direct portrayal of a domestic setting within its natural surroundings.
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