William Harnden Foster (1886 - 1941), National Sportsman cover painting, June 1920, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left, inscribed on the reverse "To my friend Will Smith, Harry R. Lawd June 1956". A charming scene from the notable Tewksbury illustrator, painting during his first year at National Sportsman. This painting was used for the June 1920 edition of National Sportsman. 25 1/2" x 20". Provenance: Harry R. Lawd, from the artist, to the current owner's family in 1956. Foster, known to some as "The Father of Skeet", grew up in a family of railroadmen and avid hunters, and took to sketching from a young age. In 1904, he enrolled in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, where he studied under Frank Benson, Philip Hale and Edmund Tarbel. From there he went to the Howard Pyle Art Colony in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania for three years, from which he began selling train illustrations to Scribners and became famous for his train paintings and illustrations. He earned the commission to paint the Century, New York Central's famous locomotive, with one of these large works hanging in Grand Central Terminal for many years. According to Art Wheaton of Sporting Classics Daily (https://sportingclassicsdaily.com/william-harnden-foster/) "rue to form, Foster took a special course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in locomotive maintenance to learn everything he could about the Century. He rode in the locomotive to immerse himself in its atmosphere. With painstaking accuracy Foster approached the project, determined not to overlook any detail — down to even the smallest bolt! — that might make his work inaccurate." Foster did advertizing work and during World War 1 worked as a draftsman in the maritime industry. Around this time he built several boats with his friend and hunting partner, Leon Leonwood Bean, for whom Foster would go on to make paintings and illustrations for. Also around this time Foster developed a shooting game called "round the clock" which quickly became a popular attraction in Andover. In 1920, Foster was hired as an assistant editor at National Sportsman Inc, publishers of Hunting and Fishing and National Sportsman. At these magazines, Foster promoted his new shooting game. One of his readers won a $100 prize for coming up with the name 'skeet'. By the late 20's, skeet shooting clubs and competitions were popping up all around the country. Today the National Skeet Shooting Association boasts 25,000 members. Sold along with a copy of the the June 1920 edition of National Sportsman featuring this painting on the cover.

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