John Fulton Folinsbee (1892-1972), Bowman’s Hill, 1936-37, oil on canvas, H. 34 x W. 50 inches, James A. Michener Art Museum. Gift of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest. Copyright 2007 John F. Folinsbee Art Trust.

This month’s mystery image is Bowman’s Hill by John Fulton Folinsbee. Along with being one of the noted landscape paintings at the Michener, its subject is of historical significance. Bowman’s Hill, now set in an established Wildflower Preserve, is a section of Washington Crossing Historic Park. The park was created to commemorate the famous “crossing” of the Delaware River by George Washington and his troops during the American Revolutionary War. If you visit this section of the park, you can see Bowman’s Tower. This 125 foot tower was constructed between 1929 and 1931 to commemorate which may have been a lookout point for General Washington. Learn more about the tower and its history.

The artist, John F. Folinsbee, created this painting in the mid-1930s. Compared to his earlier works, this painting uses darker colors, and is more expressionistic in its style.  Folinsbee was known primarily as a landscape painter, but also depicted towns, shorelines, and factories around Bucks County and on the seacoast of Maine. Learn more about Folinsbee on our Collections Database.