Edward Kranich
The Sycamores
Circa mid-19th century
Oil on canvas
31 1/2 x 22 3/4 in.
The Sycamores
The Sycamores was built in the early 1850s by
John and Eliza Bonsall on Spring Valley Road. It is a lovely example of a Greek revival mansion and still stands today, although
with the addition of side wings. The painting reflects the typical idealization of existing landscapes that was popular in
19th century American painting.
The Artist: Edward Kranich
Edward Kranich’s
specialty was depicting landscape views and portraits of homesteads. He also
was a sign painter and house painter. Kranich immigrated to the United States
from Germany with his family around 1848-1850, a time of political and economic upheaval in central Europe. The family settled in Elizabeth, Kranich married a Morristown woman named Vashti Collins, and the young
couple moved here. They are listed in the Morristown census of 1860. Kranich had a studio in Washington Hall located by the Morristown green.
By 1868 he was listed in the Elizabeth city directory as an artist.
