Leatherstocking Meets The Law

Date1832

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsSight: 26 3/8 × 33 5/16 in. (67 × 84.6 cm)

Object numberN0422.1955

Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Stephen C. Clark

Photograph by Richard Walker

Label TextJohn Quidor was one of a few early American artists to attempt humor in his artwork. "Leatherstocking Meets the Law" is based on a scene from Cooper's novel, "The Pioneers." It depicts the comical incident in which Hiram Doolittle attempts to inspect Leatherstocking's hut for gold. Quidor shows Doolittle's sprawling form, heaved from the threshold by Leatherstocking, while Jotham Riddle flees and Billy Kirby falls into gales of laughter. The episode eventually leads to Leatherstocking's unjust imprisonment.
Exhibition History“John Quidor,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, November 2, 1965 - December 5, 1965; Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, NY, December 19, 1965 - January 23, 1966; Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, February 6, 1966 - March 6, 1966; Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY, March 20, 1966 - April 24, 1966.

"What Is American in American Art," M. Knoedler and Company, Inc., New York, NY, February 8, 1971 - March 6, 1971.

“The Visionary Landscapes of John Quidor,” Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS, August 15, 1973 – October 5, 1973.

On View

Not on view