Torn in Transit

Torn in Transit is one of three painting-within-a-painting compositions John Haberle created to resemble a torn parcel. The artist’s closely rendered detail of the painted shipping label and packaging materials contrasts with the loosely brushed painterly landscape. The twine and torn edges of the paper cast a believable shadow onto the landscape, which depicts a popular chromolithograph of the time. The exacting detail and clever deception reportedly caused viewers of the work at an exhibition to advise the owner to seek damages from the express company that had delivered it.