Schooled in the European academic tradition, Grant brought to his canvasses an intelligent and disciplined feeling for design, form, and color, all elements on display in Galena Market Scene. The painting captures a flurry of activity around the 1845-built Old Market House, a Greek Revival brick structure located in the historic town of Galena, Illinois, in the far northwest corner of the state. It served as a hub for town commerce for over six decades, with an indoor farmers’ operating until about 1910, and was also the site of the City Council chambers until 1938. With the advent of larger grocery chains, the building fell into disuse, before being restored in the 1950; it is now used as a welcome center for visitors, and hosts temporary history exhibits and meeting space for locals. Assigning a date to Galena Market Scene is difficult, however, it was likely painted in the 1950s given the inclusion of both horse-drawn carts and more ‘modern’ trucks and automobiles and its resemblance to a postcard from the mid-twentieth century showing similar carts lined up near the building.

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Provenance:

By descent through the artist’s family to private collection, San Diego, California