Fine quality 19th-Century oil on panel by listed British artist John Falconer Slater (1857–1937). Titled 'Chickens in a Farmyard' it depicts several chickens and a rooster in a bucolic farmyard. It is an excellent example of the work of Slater, a Northumbrian artist who exhibited profifically in his area. Displayed in a period frame and signed lower right. There are 37 paintings by this Slater in the British National Art Collection. Slater is recognised as being one of the earliest British artists to adopt the Impressionist technique of painting. He was expert at depicting the many moods of the North Sea. He exhibited in London, Scotland and other provinces as well as the Laing Art Gallery. Not only did Slater paint but he also wrote about art in the press and his own publication. He was known to have exhibited at the Walker Gallery - Liverpool, Manchester City Art Gallery and at the Royal Academy. His work is held at the National Maritime Museum, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle and Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead. Hammer prices for Slater to $8,000+. Art has long been regarded as a strong and safe investment. Ellen Kelleher, a personal finance reporter for The Financial Times wrote an article recommending art particularly in the $500 - $50,000 range as a sound long term investment with an impressive current average annual yield of 9.7%. See 'Hang Your Investments on the Wall' in the Financial Times published in October, 2010.