New Butler master work

Photo

“Mumble the Peg” by James Longacre Wood.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Butler Institute of American Art has acquired a master work by American painter James Long-acre Wood (1863-1938) titled “Mumble the Peg.”

The painting is a “genre” work — a term that describes art depicting ordinary people in everyday activities — that is similar in style to Winslow Homer’s “Snap the Whip,” the Butler’s signature painting.

“Mumble the Peg” was completed in 1892, while “Snap the Whip” was completed in 1872.

The painting was previously owned by the late Sherman Lee, longtime director of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It was purchased by the Butler with funds earmarked for the acquisition of historic works donated by the late Max Draime and Cecile M. Draime.

It will be installed in the Butler’s Cushwa Gallery, near other works of the era, including “Snap the Whip.”

The new acquisition is “a wonderful addition to the museum’s prestigious collection,” said Louis Zona, director of the Butler. “It is a complement to ‘Snap the Whip’ ... and both works are great examples of American 19th-century genre painting. Both parallel the writing of Mark Twain.”

“Mumble the Peg” depicts three boys engaged in the pastime of tossing a knife so that its blade sticks in the ground.