The Hunter's Equipment

George Cope was born near West Chester, Pennsylvania, and lived most of his life in Chester County. He began his career as a landscape painter creating pastoral scenes of the Brandywine Valley. As the popularity of illusionistic trompe l’oeil (paintings that "fool the eye") increased in the late nineteenth century, Cope turned his attention to still-life works featuring hunting subjects. Here, the shallow space and distinct illumination from the side enhance the deception. Cope’s reputation grew, and in the 1890s he received commissions from wealthy collectors in Philadelphia and elsewhere.