Paintings like this one cause us to instinctively assume it’s just one more of those idealized, romanticized memories of a time that never was.

But this is the real thing. “Where Past Meets Present” was painted in 1917 when that car was brand new. The artist, Maynard Dixon, was born in Fresno, California in 1875, just 8 short years after the civil war. He died in 1946.

Dixon was a sickly child, so sketching in his sketchbooks occupied a lot of his time while growing up. He loved listening to the stories of westward expansion and the Old West told by old men who had actually been there. At 16, Maynard sent his sketch book to Frederic Remington who encouraged him to pursue an art career. The Dixon family moved to Alameda, CA in 1893, the year his first illustration was published in Overland Monthly. He was 18 years old. 

“Where Past Meets Present” was not an imaginary scene for Maynard Dixon. It is a true account of life in Arizona in the year 1917. The painting is expected to bring $100,000 to $150,000 at auction.