William Hart (American, 1823-1924) oil landscape, canvas laid down on board, depicting cows at a watering hole, with tall trees in the background, under a blue sky filled with billowing white clouds. Signed and dated Wm. Hart 1888 lower left. Stencil en verso of board for "P. De Chaun & Co. Artists Colour New York". Giltwood scroll carved frame with flax colored linen liner. 10" x 8" sight, 16" x 14" framed. Provenance: the collection of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Slaymaker, Nashville, Tennessee. Biography: Scottish born, second generation Hudson River School painter William Hart was known for bucolic, romantic landscapes with smooth and finely executed brush-work, often featuring cattle – a motif he began in the late 1880s when he was inspired by the Lower Keene Valley in northern New York state. Hart was the first president of the Brooklyn Academy of Design and also an instructor there. He was founder and three-term president of the American Watercolor Society, and his popular landscapes were exhibited regularly at the National Academy of Design and the American Art Union. (sources: Askart; Matthew Baigell, Dictionary of American Art; Michael David Zellman, 300 Years of American Art; Peter Falk, Who Was Who in American Art). CONDITION: Canvas laid down on board, with a few spots of light craquelure. Blacklight reveals a few tiny scattered spots of infill painting in grass area; overall very good condition. Frame is later.