[Handsome Gouache Watercolor of Steamboats on the Mississippi River at St. Louis]

[St. Louis], 1891. Very good.. Watercolor, 7.25 x 10 inches. Matted and framed in an early walnut frame with gilt accents. Contemporary notation on verso of image, "H.P. Wicker" of Boston. Image lightly but evenly toned. A charming, impressionistic watercolor scene of paddlewheel steamers on the Mississippi River at St. Louis, painted in 1891. The foreground shows a long steam barge with a paddlewheel peeking up in the center. Several gangways connect the barge to the shore, with the hint of several figures on shore near the boat. A second steamer plies the river in the middleground, while the outline of the city looms in the background. The artist, Ross S. Turner (1847-1915) was a noted teacher and painter of watercolors, particularly of landscapes and marine scenes such as the present work. Based in the Boston area, he traveled widely in search of motifs and inspiration, painting extensively in Bermuda and the Caribbean, as well as Mexico and Central America, where he spent time in coastal areas capturing the spirit of the seaside communities he visited. He was a member of numerous important art associations including the American Watercolor Society, and he exhibited at a wide range of institutions and exhibitions including the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the National Academy of Design in New York City, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His work is represented in a number of important collections such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Smithsonian, and the Denver Art Museum.