The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane (1858) is a painting by American artist John Quidor, depicting a scene from Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". The painting is one of several by the artist based on scenes from Irving's written works about Dutch New York, including such paintings as "Ichabod Crane Flying from the Headless Horseman" (1828) and "The Return of Rip Van Winkle" (1849). Quidor first exhibited the picture at the National Academy of Design in New York City. It is currently displayed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum in
Ichabod Crane War of 1812 whom he had met in 1814 in Sackets Harbor, New York. According to a notation by Irving and a certification written in long hand by Martin Van Buren, the 'pattern' (Van Buren's words) for the character of Ichabod Crane was based on the original Kinderhook schoolmaster named Jesse Merwin—born in Connecticut—whom Irving became friends with in Kinderhook, New York, in 1809. The two friends continued a pen-pal correspondence for thirty years. The Columbia County Historical Society (New York) owns the original Kinderhook Schoolhouse named after the Irving character based on Jesse Merwin, the town's first schoolteacher. The