Seeing More than Earth and Sky: The Rise of a Great Aesthetic

Sometime in the 1880s, Sallie Cover, a Nebraska settler in Garfield County, painted a picture of the homestead of her neighbor, Ellsworth L. Ball. This attractive primitive painting can be seen in the Nebraska State Historical Society in Lincoln. Various authorities have asserted that it is the first known painting by a local Nebraska artist. 1 Although we know very little about Mrs. Cover, the painting suggests that she liked her neighbor\u27s rational and neat homestead. She painted the earth rich and black, the grass healthy green, and flowers along the front path. New trees have been planted, but some small fruit trees are already in blossom. Three men, one woman, and one child, not lined up or posing in a stiff way, are scattered in the larger scene that includes horses and cattle, a field of ripening grain, stacks of older hay, and a fine bam. A big clear sky looms above the peaceful, orderly, and fertile scene