Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York
Acquired from the above by the father of the present owner

in good condition, generally; image looks clean and fresh--surface of area under mat is yellowed; sheet is hinged to backing with pieces of tape along the upper edge, verso
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

1950 was a banner year for Edward Hopper.  In February, a major retrospective of his work opened at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.  It would travel to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Detroit Institute of Arts.  The normally reclusive artist attended the openings both in Boston and Detroit and also travelled to Chicago to accept an honory degree presented to him by the Art Institute of Chicago.
The present work is a study for the 1950 painting Portrait of Orleans, now in the M. L. De Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco.  It depicts a section of Main Street, Orleans, a village in Cape Cod which the Hoppers passed through to get to South Truro, where they frequently spent their summers. 
There are slight but significant differences between this study and the completed painting. The two trees on the far left remain, but the others are cleared to clarify the💙 white house in the distance.  In the painting, a gas station sign and a traffic light occupy the right foreground and there are two cars in the distance. By contrast, a level crossing sign in the background of the sketch, evidence of a railroad (now defunct and transformed into a bicycle trail), is obliterated from the scene.  These alterations transform the straightforward view of the road, into a rumination on the impact of the automobile on rural America.