View of the Schuylkill County Almshouse Property

Charles C. Hofmann

1876 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

Hofmann spent much of his adult life in communities along Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill River, with frequent stays in public poorhouses, where he was admitted for “intemperance,” or alcoholism. He made approximately seventeen paintings of such facilities for staff members and officers of the charitable institutions. This work, painted from a high vantage point, provides a clear view of the grounds of the Schuylkill County Almshouse, near Pottsville. The bright, lively colors and clean, busy grounds depicted in the painting create a deceptively cheerful appearance. The scene is identified by the artist’s carefully lettered inscription in the foreground.

Artist

Charles C. Hofmann

Date

1876

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1966