Clovelly, North Devon

This painting, "Clovelly, North Devon," is attributed to James Landrum Webb, an American politician and jurist born in 1854 and who died in 1930. Given his professional life, which included serving as Mayor of Shelby, North Carolina, a state senator, a postal inspector, a district solicitor, and a North Carolina Superior Court judge, it's highly unusual to find a landscape painting attributed to him. His biography from Wikipedia details a significant career in law and politics, including his role in the "Shelby Dynasty" political machine, but makes no mention of any artistic pursuits or training. The Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art collections, which list other artists named James Webb, do not include any works that align with a landscape painting from this specific James Landrum Webb, nor do they list any works by a James Landrum Webb at all. The works by other artists named James Webb in those collections are primarily photographs, lithographs, or glasswork, and none are traditional landscape paintings. It's possible this attribution is an error, or that James Landrum Webb had an unknown artistic side project. Without further information, the artistic career of this James Landrum Webb remains a mystery, especially concerning a work like this landscape.