An excerpt from the book that is the basis for a new exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum
The Lessons of ‘Old Jake’
Standing more than six feet tall with a bugle in hand and leaning heavily on his bent left knee, the weathervane depicting a fireman named “Old Jake” points forward with a particular sense of urgency. As the star lot of Sotheby’s recent Americana sale, which took place on January 23 and 24, when Old Jake failed to sell it set …