Brown County

Brown County — Gustave Baumann. c. 1915.

Medium: tempera on brown paper. Dimensions: Image: 26 x 23.4 cm (10 1/4 x 9 3/16 in.); with borders: 28 x 25.4 cm (11 x 10 in.); Sheet: 28.2 x 25.4 cm (11 1/8 x 10 in.).

Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

From 1913 Baumann’s tempera preparatory drawings were always made on brown, tan, or gray paper. The background color functioned as a neutral, median baseline from which both brighter and darker hues could be calibrated. The gold border (Baumann most often painted a white perimeter around his drawings) brightens the scene and enhances the illusion of depth as if looking through a window into a three-dimensional space. The gold frame also separates the image from the margins of brown paper, so that areas of unpainted paper become integrated within the design.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.