113: TUCKER SMITH (B. 1940) COLORADO RAILROAD OIL ON CANVAS

Tucker Smith (Born 1940)
Colorado Narrow Gauge - Denver, South Park, & Pacific R.R. (1988)
The historically accurate work of Western realism is displayed in the original America West frame and signed lower left front.

Despite never actually reaching the Pacific Ocean, the Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad was instrumental in opening Colorado's high country to commerce and settlement.

Chartered in 1872, it served Gold Rush boomtowns like Leadville and Fairplay and became one of the most ambitious narrow-gauge railroads in the history of the American West.

The artist Tucker Smith is not only highly regarded for his skill as a painter, but also for his commitment to accuracy in properly depicting the American frontier. Given Smith's penchant for detail, this composition could represent an actual Rocky Mountain view near South Park Basin, a high alpine valley surrounded by the peaks of the Mosquito and Park ranges in Central Colorado.

The locomotive is a precisely depicted Mogul Type Dawson Bailey 2-6-0 from 1875. The boxcars and caboose are painted in authentic DSP&P color scheme and lettering. Records confirm that the engine pictured here, DSP&P locomotive number 18, was acquired second-hand by the Denver South Park and Pacific in 1879.
Canvas measures 32 x 48 with a framed size of 39.75H x 55.75W inches.
Very good original untouched condition. There are no issues of scratches, losses, repairs, in-painting or touch-up.
Provenance: Large and varied collection, North Kansas City, Missouri.
$20,000 - $30,000