“A Village School” American Oil on Canvas, Kids in Class, Constant Mayer, 1871

Product Description

A beautiful American oil on canvas school room scene with a teacher instructing students who are seated on benches and on the ground, with one student who appears to be wearing a dunce cap, signed on the lower left, “Constant Mayer 1871”. Mayer has beautifully captured the classroom setting with a mid-19 century teacher bringing his class together with various scriptures and lessons. The boy with a dunce cap is in time-out for acting improperly while in class, while the other kids are learning various subjects, such as math and English.

Constant Mayer was a French painter who moved to the United States in 1854. He was born in Besancon, France and studied in the Ecole des Beaux-Art school in Paris under Leon Cogniet. He was elected as an associate of the Legion of Honor and was also elected as an associate of the National Academy of Design in 1866, as well as a member of the American Art Union. Many of Constant Mayer’s works are found in world-renowned museums, which include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
New York, circa 1871.

Height: 39 in (99.06 cm)
Width: 46 in (116.84 cm)
Depth: 5 in (12.7 cm)