Historic Painting To Be Unveiled In The Caldwells At Special Event

CALDWELL, NJ — A historic painting that hasn’t been seen publicly in nearly a century will be unveiled at an upcoming event in North Caldwell.

The North Caldwell Historic Preservation Commission will be hosting a special “art reveal” at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 15 at the Firemen’s Community Center, 131 Gould Avenue.

RSVPs for the free event can be made by 5 p.m. on May 10 online here.

The prize on display? A 1928 watercolor that depicts a local landmark in “incredible detail.”

Matthew Leeds, chair of the North Caldwell Historic Preservation Commission, gave Patch some background about the significance of the artwork:

“Earlier this year, the North Caldwell Borough Council unanimously voted to accept a donation from the family of the late artist and former resident, Lawrence L. Wilbur. The Wilburs’ donation is a 1928 watercolor painted by Mr. Wilbur that captures the Armitage Estate in incredible detail. The Armitage Estate was an over 200-acre farm fashioned in the style of a small British colony, located on Mountain Avenue and East Greenbrook Road. Constructed by textile manufacturer J.D. Armitage, the Estate operated from 1919 to 1949. Many of its historic structures and outbuildings still stand today. Mr. Armitage’s Estate occupies a significant and central place in North Caldwell's history, with Armitage’s Pond—now known as Walker’s Pond—as a prominent and cherished feature of the landscape.”

Leeds said that procuring the painting was a huge challenge – but was worth it to hold a homecoming for a painting that hasn’t been seen by the public in close to 100 years.

Wilbur was a resident of North Caldwell from 1923 to 1971. He lived in the historic Sandford-Stager House on East Greenbrook Road.

The following biography comes courtesy of the artist's grandson, Christopher Wilbur:

“Lawrence Lazear Wilbur was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. (His grandfather, Reuben H. Wilbur, was a major in the Union army during the Civil War and later mayor of Omaha.) After high school, Lawrence hitchhiked to New York City to study art, at the Art Students League and over the next decade established himself as a successful commercial artist. He created lithographs, large images for billboards, and more than one cover for the Saturday Evening Post. In June, 1917, he married Helen Ruth Purdy, scion of a Baltimore newspaper family. In August, 1918, he joined the army and served actively in World War I. On his return, the couple moved to a Revolutionary War period stone house in North Caldwell, N.J., where they were to live for over fifty years. The property included a stone outbuilding that became his portrait studio. They had two sons, Richard Purdy Wilbur (1921-2017), who became a celebrated Pulitzer Prize winning poet, former U.S. Poet Laureate, as well as a translator; and Lawrence L. Wilbur, Jr. (1924-2008). In his portrait period, from the late 1930's into the 70's, Wilbur painted dozens of portraits, many of bankers, businessmen, and socialites, and local luminaries, as well as friends and relatives. But he always viewed painting as an activity to love in itself, and pursued his bliss painting numerous landscapes, seascapes, and an occasional still life. He was a lifelong student of painting, and particularly admired Eakins and Velázquez. He was handy around the house and an excellent bridge, tennis, piano, and accordion player. He was a gentle soul, soft-spoken, but also wryly humorous and could tell a joke with a hilarious understatement.”

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