Marjorie Reed - The Red Stage Coach Crossing the West- Oil Painting

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Marjorie Reed - The Red Stage Coach crossing the West- Oil painting
American South Western - Oil painting on board … Read more Marjorie Reed - The Red Stage Coach crossing the West- Oil painting
American South Western - Oil painting on board - Signed
Board Size 8x10 - Gold Leaf Frame size 12x14"

Painting Description
This oil painting is characteristic of the work of Marjorie Reed (1915–1996), an American Impressionist renowned for her vibrant depictions of the Old West, particularly her obsession with the stagecoach.
Composition and Style
The artwork captures a spirited scene of a stagecoach traversing a rugged, sun-drenched landscape. The composition is grounded by a dynamic diagonal path that leads the viewer's eye from the stagecoach in the center toward the distant, rolling blue mountains.
Reed’s style is marked by:
Expressive Brushwork: Thick, textured strokes (impasto) bring a sense of movement and "western grit" to the rocky foreground and the horses' exertion.Vibrant Palette: The use of high-contrast colors—vivid greens against warm ochres and cool mountain blues—creates a sense of the intense light found in the Arizona and California deserts. Narrative Focus: The stagecoach itself, painted in a striking red, serves as the narrative anchor, representing the adventure and peril of 19th-century western travel. Historical Context :Marjorie Reed spent much of her career documenting the Butterfield Overland Stage route. Her work often blends historical accuracy with a romanticized, impressionistic flair. This particular piece, housed in a traditional carved gilt frame, reflects her legacy of capturing the "Real West" through a lens of nostalgia and artistic energy.
The back of this painting (the verso) provides a fascinating "paper trail" that confirms its authenticity and historical significance within Marjorie Reed’s body of work.
Provenance and Connections
The handwritten inscriptions reveal a direct link to the Lazy H Sky Ranch in Pauma Valley, California. This is a critical detail because:
A Frequent Guest: Marjorie Reed was a known frequent guest at the Lazy H Sky Ranch. She painted many of her famous stagecoach scenes while staying there, often using the surrounding rugged landscape as her direct inspiration.
The Owners: The note "Owner—Mr. & Mrs. E.M. Henry" refers to the original owners of the ranch. The bottom inscription, "Purchased from Henry estate," indicates that this piece was part of their private collection before being sold.
Technical Details of the Support
The panel itself is an Atelier Panel manufactured by the E.H. & A.C. Friedrichs Co. of New York.
Artist Preference: Reed frequently used these high-quality, canvas-mounted boards for her smaller works. They were durable enough for her "en plein air" (outdoor) painting sessions along the stagecoach trails.
Size Confirmation: The stamp correctly identifies the size as 8 x 10 inches, which matches the standard dimensions for her highly sought-after "trail studies."
Historical Context: Pauma Valley
Pauma Valley was a significant location for Reed. It sits along the path of various historic travel routes in Southern California. The "Pauma Valley" notation in her own hand (or that of a contemporary collector) anchors this specific painting to the very geography she spent her life documenting.
This "backstory" significantly enhances the painting's value, as provenance—especially to a location as central to the artist's life as the Lazy H Ranch—is highly prized by Western art collectors.

Artist Biography
Marjorie Jane Reed (1915–1996) was a prolific American painter who dedicated over 65 years to capturing the spirit of the Old West, specifically the legendary stagecoach routes.
Early Life and Training
Prodigious Beginnings: Born in Springfield, Illinois, she began art lessons at age three from her father, Walter Stephen Reed, a commercial artist. By age 14, she was already working professionally, designing Christmas cards and illustrating for a Disney-affiliated company.
The Disney Stint: Her talent earned her a spot in the Walt Disney Studios animation department in the mid-1930s. However, she found the work too regimented and left to pursue the "free life" of the countryside.
Formal Mentorship: She studied at the Chouinard Art School and the Art Center School in Los Angeles. Her most influential teacher was Jack Wilkinson Smith, who recognized her love for horses and the outdoors, encouraging her to "roam the countryside" to find her subjects.

The Butterfield Stage Mission
Reed’s legacy is defined by her obsession with the Butterfield Overland Mail Stage (1857–1858).
Historical Dedication: She befriended Captain William Banning, a former stagecoach driver, who shared romantic tales of the trail.
Field Research: To ensure authenticity, Reed traveled the 2,800-mile route in a Model-T Ford with her Alaskan Husky, camping at every stage station she painted to capture the exact essence of the location.
Major Works: Her first series of 20 paintings, The Colorful Overland Stage, was completed in 1957 and purchased by James S. Copley. She later completed three more sets focused on Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and the Midwest.
Artistic Identity and Later Years
Pseudonyms: Early in her career, she sometimes signed her work with male names like Harvey Day or Fred Day to navigate the male-dominated western art market.
Personal Philosophy: Deeply religious, Reed often claimed she was merely the vessel for her work, stating, "I just held the brush and God did the work".
Final Chapter: She led a nomadic life, claiming at age 81 to have moved once for every year she had been alive. She spent her final decades in Tombstone, Arizona, and died in the desert near a Butterfield Stage Station in California in 1996. See less