Lot 204
JOHN FERY (1859-1934)
Lot 204 Details
JOHN FERY (1859-1934), Austrian/American
LAKE SAINT MARY, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
oil on canvas
signed ‘J. Fery’ lower left, titled ‘Lake St. Mary’ and inscribed ‘523’ to the canvas verso
35.5 ins x 72 ins; 90.2 cms x 182.9 cms
Estimate $15,000-$25,000
Additional Images
Provenance:
This work hung in the lobby of the Kahler Grand Hotel at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN for many years;
From whom purchased by the present Private Collection, North Bay, ON in 1980
Note:
Born in Austria, John Fery earned notoriety for expansive, dramatic paintings of western mountain landscapes in the United States, specifically majestic scenes of Glacier National Park in northwest Montana.
Fery's paintings were hung in train stations and other places, promoting travel.
In the mid 1880s, Fery emigrated to the United States to reside in the German community in Milwaukee, and then in 1886, he brought his family to the United States.
Louis Hill, owner of the Great Northern Railway and a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, commissioned Fery to paint scenes of Glacier Park and other scenic landscapes for placement in their hotels and railroad stations. Over the years the Great Northern Railroad purchased a total of 362 works. Many of these paintings were large-scale panoramas such as this lot.
In 1914, after several years of painting in Glacier Park, Fery did a series of about twelve oil paintings of Yellowstone for advertising purposes for the Northern Pacific Railroad.