Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers in Milford, Connecticut, has recovered two paintings by artist Eastman Johnson (1824-1906) that were stolen in 1978.
The two paintings, Mary and Her Lamb and The Young Mother, were stolen from Kenneth Lux Gallery and Hirschl & Adler Galleries in New York City in 1978. For generations, the whereabouts of the paintings were unknown.
Shannon’s owner Sandra Germain (right), with Kenneth Lux’s son, Electronic Dance Music (EDM) artist Ultra Quest (Daniel Lux), with Mary and Her Lamb.
Sandra Germain with Eric Baumgartner of Hirschl & Adler with The Young Mother.
Brandon Levine, owner of Brandon’s Art and Antiques, Long Island, New York, called Shannon’s when he recognized two paintings in an estate collection as potentially painted by Johnson. Sandra Germain, Shannon’s owner, remarked, “I immediately recognized them as artworks by Eastman Johnson and directed Brandon to the online catalogue raisonné compiled by Patricia Hills and Abigael MacGibeny.” Following this advice, Levine consulted the online catalog (www.eastmanjohnson.org).
The catalogue raisonné revealed a letter dated May 6, 1978, from Hirschl & Adler reporting the painting The Young Mother stolen. The second painting, Mary and Her Lamb, was listed as stolen from Kenneth Lux Gallery on April 27, 1978.
Germain contacted a representative at the Art Loss Register, the world’s largest database of stolen art, who confirmed the information.
Germain and Levine were able to show the family who inherited the paintings the records indicating that the works were stolen in 1978. All parties agreed to do their utmost to facilitate the return of the paintings to their rightful owners.
Germain noted, “I knew I could place a quick phone call to my friends at Hirschl & Adler. Sure enough, the owner, Stuart Feld, described the painting as if it had been stolen the day before. Tracking down the descendants of Ken Lux was a more complicated task, but we were finally able to connect with Daniel Lux, on behalf of his father’s estate.”
Germain arranged for the paintings to be brought to Shannon’s and then returned to their rightful owners. “It is truly gratifying to see The Young Mother return home after nearly fifty years. We are deeply grateful to Shannon’s for their diligence, integrity, and commitment to the art community in facilitating this recovery,” said Eric Baumgartner, senior vice president and director of American paintings and sculpture at Hirschl & Adler.
“It is such an incredible feeling to see this painting after it had been gone for decades. Solving this mystery after so many years is a great way to honor my father’s legacy,” said Lux, who lives on Long Island, “I’m grateful to everyone involved for returning this painting.”
Originally published in the November 2026 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2026 Maine Antique Digest
