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919 First St.,
San Fernando, California
April 7, 1958

Mr. Carlen
Carlen Galleries
Philadelphia, Pa.

Dear Sir:

After much difficulty I have finally obtained your address.

I have an oil painting signed by H. Pippin and stretched by "Favor_Ruhl", New York and Chicago". I have tried at the Los Angeles County Museum and several Galleries here to have it authenticated and they all say they do not know enough about Pippin to have an opinion. I have read and studied and two things make me feel it important to pursue it further and one is the that I read that Pippin was a primitive painter and I realize that this is not a primitive and is unlike anything I have ever seen that he has done, except one thing; and that is his "Water Boy" in the LA County Museum here. While it is a primitive and typical, he has clouds which are IDENTICAL with the round blue object you see in the upper right hand corner of this painting. They are most destinctive and have white swirls in them, same brush strokes,even.

The final point is that I read where Pippin finally exhibited two painting in the Modern Museum of Art, and musn't one have a modern painting to exhibit there. Could one exhibit primitives there? Someone here said "it is possible he painted a 'Sport' late in his career when he discovered color." I do not know what a "sport" is, but I imagine it is something for fun, out of the painter's class.

Anyway, if one tried to copy Pippin, wouldn't they do something primitive for which he was known instead of painting a modern for which he was undknown.

Needless to say I will greatly appreciate anything at all you might be able to tell me.

Sincerely yours,
M. Hickok 
M.Hickok

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