Edward Beyer (German-American, 1820-1865). Oil on canvas, housed in a gilt frame. Signed and dated 1853 l.r., with etched inscription on stretcher reading A Merry Christmas 1898 To Aurelia Miesse. Sophia Koop; 20 x 29.75 in. (sight),27.25 x 37.25 in. (frame).This landscape features three figures in a canoe on a lake, with a waterfall and a mountain range in the background. The scene does not depict a recognizable Virginia or West Virginia location, and is most likely a fanciful one. The painting descended in the present owner's family. The dedication on the stretcher refers to Aurelia Sorber Rosser (1854-1936). Her aunt, Sophia Miesse Koop (1835-1907), gifted the painting to her for Christmas in 1898. After Aurelia's death, the painting was bequeathed to the present owner's grandmother.Sophia Miesse Koop was the great-granddaughter of Johann Daniel Miesse (1743-1818), a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Her father, and Johann Daniel's grandson, was Gabriel LaFayette Miesse (1807-1886), of Fairfield County, Ohio, who was purportedly the original owner of the painting. Where and how he acquired the work remains a mystery, although Beyer is known to have traveled through Ohio in 1853, and it is possible that he met Gabriel during his travels.Â