WATT to display rare poultry breed portraits at Rockford Art Museum

Jersey White Giants by L. Stahmer (1931)

Experience a piece of agricultural history during a select showing of pieces from the WATT collection of poultry breed paintings (1926-1950), the largest single collection of rare poultry breed portraits worldwide. Hatching History: A WATT collection of rare poultry breed portraits will be on display at the Rockford Art Museum’s Art Annex from August 19 through November 20.
The complete collection is comprised of 57 framed oil paintings created by three American artists, A.O. Schilling, L. Stahmer and F.L. Sewell, and was commissioned by J.W. Watt, founder of Watt Publishing Company in the mid-1920s. Approximately 15 of these paintings will be on display at Rockford Art Museum.
With its corporate headquarters based in Rockford, Ill., WATT invites the community to appreciate the beauty of the artists’ interpretations of rare poultry breeds and learn about the company’s rich history and its contributions to the poultry industry over the past 94 years.