I am no academe...so I will just yap about this guy. Anyone know him? huh? Okay...if you find him tedious, click on...if not...His name is Edward Hicks. Mid 1700s, Philadelphia area (more particularly, Bucks County), painter, preacher and at one point, coach builder and painter. Mr. Hicks is known for his peaceable kingdoms (one shown above)-- always with this naive animals massed one in front, on top etc of each other--covering about 2/3 of the canvas, and the other part showing Mr. William Penn convening with the Native Americans to create a treaty. He loved this topic. Loved. I love the way the illustrations are so naive...the animals really colorized/dimensionalized images you find of woodcuts and engravings of the time. Even merry-go-rounds (Watch Hill, Rhode Island), decorative arts and signage all are part of his look and feel...and I think, this is unintentional...as I think this work sprang from the environment Mr. Hicks existed in. Afterall, he did paint carriages....which means good lettering with good shadows and pictures that somehow explained the owner or added cache to the vehicle.