Daniel Garber, Spring Valley Inn

Daniel Garber painted with delicacy and refinement, in sharp contrast to the approach of his leading peers in Pennsylvania Impressionism, Walter Elmer Schofield and Edward Willis Redfield, who attacked their canvases with vigorous, direct application of paint. Spring Valley Inn depicts a popular establishment near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Garber's amazing ability to evoke the color of midday light -a favorite subject of his -is visible in the warm sun trickling through the treetops, the shadows on the rooftop, the brilliant green tonalities in the foliage, and the profusion of blossoms.

A descendant of Pennsylvania German immigrants, Garber was born in Manchester, Indiana. He was awarded a prestigious Cresson Traveling Scholarship by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and spent two years studying in Europe. His friendship with William Langson Lathrop drew him to New Hope in 1907. Garber became a well-known artist and highly respected teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy and the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art & Design). His arch-rival, Arthur B. Carles, also taught at the Academy and advocated for a modernist approach to the arts. His work is held in more than forty American museums.