I really love this painting, with a wonderful warmth and richness to the palette that makes it feel illuminated by late afternoon light. From what I've been able to dig up, I believe this M&W is for the Morgantown and Wheeling Railway, a historic coal-hauling short-line railroad in West Virginia--which despite its name never reached Wheeling, only operating west from Morgantown to Brave, PA, between 1913 and 1923, and from what I can tell it was reorganized as the Scotts Run Railroad in 1923. I've included a historic photo, with both engine and coal car indeed looking very much like this! And this painting certainly appears to date to the period in which the train operated, 1910s or so.
20 1/8" x 10 5/8". General wear and paint loss, the effect of which I very much like. On what I believe is waxed linen--thin but relatively sturdy. There is one clean tear coming in from left edge near the bottom running about 2 inches—not much visible but I'll back with a piece of easily removed archival mending tape before sending, and will ship flat.
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