One of the painter Jasper Francis Cropsey’s impressive works is back on public display for the first time in 152 years, thanks to a Bucks County couple, writes Bedatri D. Choudhury for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The painting, titled “Autumn in the Ramapo Valley, Erie Railway,” was commissioned in 1873 by the investor James McHenry, who took control of Erie Railway after ousting Jay Gould. 

The painting was on display for just a few days on Wall Street before moving to McHenry’s London home. 

Philanthropists J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox of Bucks County recently purchased the painting, and the piece is now on display at the Brandywine Museum of Art. 

J. Jeffrey has had a lengthy career in education and finance, while Ann Marie has worked with several nonprofits, many of which are dedicated to children with special needs.  

The pair are avid art collectors with a passion for American history.  

When the couple’s art advisor learned from a friend that the painting was being put up for auction in London, they were eager to buy it. 

The Foxes have not revealed what they paid for the piece.  

“If you put a value to it, that’s what you’re going to talk about, as opposed to the painting,” J. Jeffrey said. “We’re a foundation and at the end of the day, we’re not going to sell it. So it doesn’t matter what we paid.” 

Read more about the painting by Jasper Francis Cropsey and how the Foxes came to own it in The Philadelphia Inquirer.  

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