Some Enchanted Land: The Paintings of John Willard Raught

The Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science & Art has the largest public collection of artworks by John Willard Raught, the first recognized regional landscape artist from Northeastern Pennsylvania. In commemoration of Scranton’s 150th, the Everhart Museum will open a special exhibition of paintings, including new acquisitions and artworks from local collectors.

Born in Dunmore on September 9, 1857, and trained in New York and Paris, Raught grew up surrounded by the contradictory landscapes of the burgeoning coal industry and the pastoral agricultural communities of the region. Raught applied his skill of painting en Plein air (outdoors) to pleasant rural settings around Scranton as well as painting portraits of prominent citizens and businessmen. Raught witnessed many developments in the region throughout his lifetime. Rural landscapes often changed to accommodate the coal mining industry which had its zenith in the earliest part of the 20th century. His artworks embody the masterful, light-infused compositions of the Impressionists, as well as the simple and industrial dichotomy of the landscape of anthracite coal country.

Exhibition overview from museum website