this is an unusual & rare antique oil painting dated 1907 & signed by the talented artist showing a landscape of the "Northampton, MA Flats" as it looked 115 years ago - it is a view from the east side of the dirt road which led south to Holyoke which much later became the very busy Rte 5 between Northampton & Holyoke - the viewer sees a dirt path running alongside of the roadway where there is a man & a women walking along the dirt path - in the mid-low section of the painting, the viewer sees a post & beam fence on both sides of the road
it appears to be a fall scene as the foliage has changed color to its yellows & oranges - across the road, the viewer sees farmlands with a small barn in the middle right of the picture - to the far left of the painting & in the distance, we see Mt. Tom & what appears to be a trail to the top of the small mountain - Mt. Tom is approx. 1,200 feet tall, so , it was a pleasant hike to the top for 19the C. & early 20th C. "trampers" - in the middle of the painting, off in the distance, we see some water which was a part of the Northampton "Oxbow" from the Ct. River - to the right of the "Oxbow" we see another high hill in Northampton -
the artist, "M.J. Powers", created this wonderful painting with a partially cloudy sky as he saw it, & as a consequence, even though there is pale blue sky too, there are many puffy off-white & grayish clouds floating in the sky - therefore, this painting will work best for the viewer in a well-lighted room - the painting measures 26" x 15" sight size, & is in very good antique condition with some minimal stable cracquelure on the painted surface - the painting is greatly enhanced by its original gilded gesso on wooden frame which measures 32" x 20" & is in good antique condition with a few blemishes here & there -
the painting can be picked up at my home in Swanzey, NH to save on the shipping costs which could be expensive considering the size of the box i will need to properly pack the painting with its fragile gesso on wood frame - .