Robert Trotter Oil on Masonite “Trompe l’oeil Nantucket” with quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne “For a few summer weeks it’s good to live as if the world were heaven – Nathaniel Hawthorne”, signed lower left R.L. Trotter, in custom gold leaf frame
5 in. x 7 in.

Provenance: Robert Wilson Galleries, Nantucket

In 1990 Robert Lawrence Trotter was sentenced to 10 months in Federal prison for the forgery and sale of American folk paintings. Trotter was a talented artist in his own right, but was unable to sell his works. So he started forging the works of other historical painters whose works did have a ready market. One FBI agent explained: “He’d go into antiques shops, buy old frames, use square nails and ultraviolet light to cause certain cracks to occur. He wouldn’t copy, but he’d paint in the famous artist’s style. Sometimes he would sign their name, sometimes he wouldn’t.”