have cut this Assistence [sic] from 20. to 18, with the assurence [sic] offurther Cut as We grow older [space] figuring Death from Starvation will reach zero mark? Mich.' The artist's final years were difficult, not only for him but also for those who tried to help him. Assisted-care facilities, organized food drives, homeless shelters, and free medical clinics were missing from rural and small-town America in the 1930s and 1940s. Instead, local folk did what they could for their less fortunate neighbors, especially if—as seems to have been Harley's case—no family members were able or willing to lend a hand. The 1940 Scottville city directory places the artist at 106 Gay Street, property then occupied by Rolene and Art Wallager." Mrs. Wallager recalled that, initially, she and her husband allowed Harley to occupy a trailer on their plot; later, they brought him into their own home." Extraordinarily, at that point, Harley still possessed the three paintings that the museum was to acquire in 1957, as shown in four of the eight snapshots taken then. Two hang in a corner of his dwelling in one shot; in another, he displays Wallowa Lake outside. Repeatedly, his reduced circumstances must have raised the specter of parting with these personal treasures. Their magical ability to transport him to happier times and places stiffened his resistance, however, presumably until the point when Lowry acquired them. On Gay Street, Wallager did her best for Harley, but the monumental task of caring for her unpredictable, unkempt, sometimes contrary, and often drunk lodger finally overwhelmed her, and Harley was moved to a nursing home. Area directories for 1944 and 1946 omitted him. He was at a convalescent home at 313 North Robert Street in Ludington when he died,on November 24,1947, a few days short of 84 years old. The painter who once cockily called himself invincible was but a man after all, the vitality of his flesh and blood a momentary flare. Yet he was right, in a sense. By ignoring society's dictates and others'judgments, he was able to mold an original life, one expressive of his deepest, most cherished convictions. In pursuing that goal, he created a body of artwork whose modest size is more than compensated by its enduring power to inspire.*
Barbara R.Luck has worked at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation since 1970,serving as the curator ofthe Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museumfor more than a decade. She is currently thefoundation's curator ofpaintings, drawings, and sculpture.
Notes 1 Robert Lowry,"Steve Harley and the Lost Frontier," Flair 1, no.5(June 1950): 12-17. 2 The Harley material acquired in 1957 from the New York City firm of ICnoedler's consists ofthree oil landscapes; a copy of Lowry's article; a sketch of deer; three large photos; seven snapshots taken out West;eight snapshots ofHarley as an elderly man; a June 27, 1925,letter from the State Savings Bank of Scottville, Mich.; a May 8, 1944,letter from the State Social Welfare Commission; and an envelope from the State Welfare Department postmarked July 14, 1938.These items passed from Harley to Lowry to an unidentified dealer to Knoedler's. 3 Quick was interviewed September 14-17,2002.The author also thanks Bud Quick and Jane ICrolczyk for their assistance. 4 Now forgotten circumstances prevented Quick and her mother from witnessing Harley's burial. The funeral director told Quick that no one attended. Harley's obituary in the Ludington (Mich.) Daily News 58, no. 19(November 25, 1947), p. 7,cites "no immediate survivors." Lowry,op. cit., p. 17,said Harley was buried by the state.The gravestone was in place by 1989, per Ludington Public Library Cemetery records updated then,but when and who laid it are unknown.It spells Harley's first name "Steven," but most historical data cite "Stephen," which thus stands in the museum's formal records. Per Dianne Harley Wintch (see n. 5), the W stands for "William."Throughout, names variously spelled and used in historical records have been made consistent here for clarity's sake. 5 The plot also contains the remains of a toddler, the artist's niece Beatrice Naomi Harley, a daughter ofPercy and Julia Ette Hovey Harley. An oil portrait ofthis child, privately owned by a descendant, may be Harley's work.The author is indebted to Dianne Harley Wintch,a descendant ofPercy's, for her considerable help with genealogical and biographical information throughout. 6 Record ofDeaths,Mason Co., Mich., Clerk's Office, Mason County Courthouse,Book 2, p. 134,line 212. 7 History ofMason County, Michigan, with Biographical Sketches of some ofIts Prominent Men and Pioneers(Chicago: H.R.Page & Co., 1882), p. 75,and Special Schedules ofthe 1890 census, Riverton Township,Mich.
Steve Harley and fish, Redondo Beach, California, probably 1925, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, Williamsburg, Virginia, not accessioned Inscribed on the reverse: Jew Fish or deep Sea Bass caught at Redondo Beach Calif., Feb 18-25. length 6'4", girth 4'9", weight 321#. By S.W. Harley. Below this, in another hand, is, George: I mention this fish in article. /Bob Lowry.
Steve Harley and horse, probably Mason County, Michigan, c. 1900, courtesy Mason County Historical Society, Ludington, Michigan, P-1190 44 FALL 2005
FOLK ART