Oil on canvas, 30 x 15 inches / Signed lower left
Wall was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of noted Pittsburgh artist Alfred S. Wall and nephew of William Coventry Wall, also a Pittsburgh artist. His only art instruction was that provided by his father and uncle. As part of the second generation of Scalp Level School, founded by another Pittsburgh artist, George Hetzel, he became known for his rendering of sheep in bucolic, pastoral settings. His brushwork is somewhat loose, reminiscent of the French Barbizon School style emulated by the Scalp Level artists. Although landscape painting was his forte, his best-known portraits are of Andrew Carnegie, Mrs. Henry Clay Frick and Harry Darlington. After his father’s death, Wall took his place as a member of the Fine Arts Committee of the Carnegie Institute. He exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exhibition (1892 – 1893) and the National Academy of Design.