About the work

This work was a study for a 1943 painting titled “On an Old Trail.” In the final work shown in our photos, Forsythe described the scene as follows: “A jackass prospector looks at an old shovel half buried in the sand, and wonders if its former owner found gold or death in the desert hills.”

From the personal collection of Ed and Katherine Ainsworth, lifelong friends of the artist. Katherine is well known as the biographer of artist John Hilton (The Man Who Captured Sunshine) and was a regular reviewer for the L.A. Times and the Monrovia News Post. Ed served as the Chief Editorial Editor at the L.A. Times and authored several books, including The Cowboy in Art and Painters of the Desert. 

Ed and Katherine owned a home on the northeast shore of the Salton Sea and counted the desert artists among their closest friends, including Clyde Forsythe, John W. Hilton, Jimmy Swinnerton, Bill Bender, and Orpha Mae Klinker.

The note verso from Katherine Ainsworth, dated two years before her death at age 80, states:

“This is to certify that this oil painting of a desert prospector and two burros is an authentic work done by Clyde Forsythe, my personal close friend, and was presented to me and my husband during the 1950s. Yours truly, Katherine Ainsworth, June 5, 1987, Duarte, Ca.” 

About the artist…

Victor Clyde Forsythe (1885-1962) was born in Orange, California, to parents who had moved from Tombstone, Arizona. He would become one of the first American artists known as the “Desert Painters.” His works are readily recognizable for their “Forsythe” prospectors, clouds, burros, and sky.  

Forsythe’s connection to the desert solidified in 1920 when he and Frank Tenney Johnson moved to Alhambra, California, where they shared a studio and, with their works in high demand, established the Biltmore Art Gallery in Los Angeles. Forsythe immersed himself in the lore of the West and often lived in ghost towns while on painting forays.

Forsythe helped start many a young artist, such as close friend Norman Rockwell, on their path to distinction and fame. Other painters he lent advice to included Bill Bender, Olaf Wieghorst, and Joe Beeler. 

Ed Ainsworth once said that Forsythe was “the kindest and most helpful of men” who had a warm and sympathetic nature, and whose humor would “flash forth with devastating suddenness after periods of stoical silence.”

Packaging and Shipping 

We gladly provide shipping quotes upon request. 

Sales tax

Items shipped or delivered to a Nevada address will include applicable sales tax on the purchase invoice.