William Aiken Walker (1838-1921), Uncle Sam

William Aiken Walker (1838-1921)
Uncle Sam
signed with conjoined initials 'WAWalker' (lower left)
oil on canvas
38 5/8 x 20 ½ in. (98.1 x 52.1 cm.)

Pre-Lot Text
Property from the Jay P. Altmayer Family Collection
'Palmetto Hall’ sits nestled away, hidden behind a thick row of trees on South McGregor Avenue in Mobile, Alabama. Ground broke on Palmetto Hall in 1846 but the residence was given a second life from its enthusiastic new owners, Jay and Nan Altmayer, in 1959. Stately and elegant, the mansion has retained its antebellum grandeur through the turn of the 21st century due to the impassioned interests of the Altmayers, who modified and expanded the house, and furnished it with a unique mix of classical European furnishings, Southern art, and depictions of American heroes and historic events. Their love of collecting became a worldwide adventure.
The Altmayers notably amassed one of the foremost collections of Southern artist William Aiken Walker's work. Mr. Altmayer once explained of his interest in the artist, "I am confident that I have collected Walker's work for a most fundamental reason. Though I have covered much of the world, I prefer the landscape of the South to all others. I love its forests, its swamps, and its natural beauty...this man has no parallel among American genre painters as a visual recorder and preserver of life in the rural South during the post-Civil War period when cotton was still king of the economy." ("Foreword," William Aiken Walker: Southern Genre Painter, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1972)
Now, an era has passed and Christie's is privileged to have been given the opportunity to honor Mr. and Mrs. Altmayer, and offer the wonderful collection they assembled together, including Lots 82, 83, 84 and 85.