Antique Edwin Megargee Original "Houdans" Painting

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Antique original "Houdans" painting by famous American artist Edwin Megargee. The artwork has exquisite details and is signed "Edwin Megargee" … Read more Antique original "Houdans" painting by famous American artist Edwin Megargee. The artwork has exquisite details and is signed "Edwin Megargee" and dated "1911" in the lower right hand corner. Megargee also titled the artwork on it's original mat in ink, "Houdans". The Houdan (aka - Poule de Houdan) is an old French breed of domestic chicken, belonging to the group of crested chicken. It is named for its area of origin, the commune of Houdan, in the département of Yvelines to the west of Paris. The Houdan has an unusual butterfly-shaped comb, and is one of few breeds to have five toes rather than the usual four. The origins of this breed are unknown. Since they predate modern agricultural writing, little can be said with certainty. They were first imported into England in 1850 and into North America in 1865. We were ecstatic to acquire this extremely rare Edwin Megargee original. Megargee (1883–1958) was a leading American painter of purebred animals during the 20th century. In this original painting, he illustrated three Houdan chickens (prize examples and purebred) with watercolor and gouache on illustration board. This painting was made in 1911 and shortly after was reproduced in 1912 for "The Book of Poultry", commissioned from Megargee for the first edition, published by International Textbook Press in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was then republished in a second 1921 edition by Macmillan. The goal of the publication was to show the defining characteristics of the breed. This was Megargee’s first major book deal and launched his career as an animal painter. He went on to create animal portraits which reflected how the animal looked in real life in realistic settings. He is best known for creating the iconic running greyhound logo for the Greyhond Bus Co. This artwork is a beautiful piece of history that has been preserved magnificently. It was kept inside a professional frame by an avid high end art collector. The frame is a mid century style frame with gold painted wood frame border, double matting, and clear glass covering the art. The backside has a universal metal wire for easy hanging on any wall. A rare chance to have a piece of Natural History Art, American History, and a Megargee original!

Measurements:
artwork size - 10.75" length x 17.75" height
artwork and original matting - 15.5" length x 22" height , overall in original mat
total (including frame) - 17" length x 23.5" height x 1.25" depth See less