Coolidge, B - portrait of a lady

This miniature portrait of an unknown lady is signed "B Coolidge" for Bertha Coolidge (1880-1953) who worked in New York and Boston.

There were several people named Bertha Coolidge, but she is thought to be the Bertha Coolidge born in Lynn MA on Aug 28, 1880, the elder daughter of a Boston merchant Albert Leighton Coolidge (16 Jun 1832-<1900) and his wife Elizabeth E Wiggin (Oct 1851-?) who were married on 20 Aug 1879 in Boston when Albert was aged 47.

There is a book "Kate Douglas Wiggin As Her Sister Knew Her" by Nora Archibald Smith, which has a miniature of Kate Douglas Wiggin by Bertha Coolidge as a frontispiece. Presumably Kate was related to Bertha's mother. Kate Douglas Wiggin was a noted author who lead the kindergarten education movement in the United States. She also wrote children's books including "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" (1903).

It seems likely Elizabeth was Albert's second wife as there is also a record of Albert L Coolidge marrying Mary A Buttrick in Boston on 16 Jan 1856. Bertha made many trans-Atlantic crossings, the earliest at age 5 with her parents, but more after World War I. Perhaps it was a way to mix and attract potential new clients.

There are references to Coolidge's exhibited work at AMERICANS AT BIG SALON.; Unusually Large Number of Paintings by ... and at Exhibition of Miniatures at the Academy; ART AT HOME AND ABROAD and there are miniatures by her in the Metropolitan Museum and MFA Boston.

The MFA collection in Boston includes a miniature portrait of Bertha Coolidge painted in 1911 by Laura Coombs Hills, see Bertha Coolidge 573

Davis & Sanford - portrait of a lady

This miniature portrait of an unknown lady is signed "Davis & Sanford", which is probably means the artist worked for Davis & Sanford". 588

Cope, M F -portrait of a man

This miniature portrait is signed "M F Cope". The sitter is unknown. 183

Cope, M F - portrait of a man

Although this portrait of an unknown man is unsigned, it was purchsed together with the adjacent portrait which is signed "M F Cope" and is therefore attributed to the same artist. 182

Decker, Effie Bennet - portrait of a child

This miniature portrait is signed "E B D" for Effie Bennet Decker (1869-1936) . She worked in Washington DC. The sitter is unknown. 546

Deane, Lillian Reubena - portrait of herself

This miniature portrait is inscribed on the reverse as being a self portrait. It is signed "Reubena Deane 1900". Lillian Reubena Deane (24 Sep 1880-24 Jun 1972) was born in Chicago and also worked in Los Angeles.

In the 1910 census Lillian described herself as an artist and was living in Chicago with her widowed mother Mary Deane (29 Nov 1848-25 Aug 1945) aged 61, and a lady who seems to be her mother's step-sister Sarah E Deacon aged 69.

By the 1920 census the three of them had moved to Los Angeles, but in the 1930 census Sarah appears to have died and Lillian now called herself L Reubena Deane, artist. 1034

Deane, Lillian Reubena - portrait of Isobella Mendez

This miniature portrait is signed "L Reubena Deane 1929" for Lillian Reubena Deane (1881-1966).

The previous owner purchased the portrait at an estate sale of the John Leh family. The family owned Leh's Department Store in Allentown Pa. Eleanor Bear, referred in the following inscription on the reverse, married into the Leh family.

The inscription reads "Isobella Mendez / Hollywood 1930 portrait on ivory / Lillian Reubena Deane / with many loving wishes to Eleanor Bear from "Miss Ruby" ". Nothing further is known about Isobella Mendez.

This collection includes a miniature self portrait by Lillian Reubena Deane and also a portrait of Meliza Korjus. 1033.

Dix, Eulabee - portrait of a lady

This miniature portrait is signed "Dix" for Eulabee Dix (1879-1961). There is a very good biography of her life called "Looking for Eulabee Dix" by Jo Ann Ridley. The sitter is unknown. As part of the packing in this miniature, there is a trade card which reads 'Announcing an exhibition of Miniatures and Roses by Eulabee Dix - May 22nd to June 3rd 1939 Delphic Studios 56th Street New York City". 1031a

Dix, Eulabee (?) -portrait of a lady

This miniature portrait is unsigned, but is possibly by Eulabee Dix, as it is similar in style to her other work. The sitter is unknown. 1091

Duvall, Fannie - portrait of a lady

This miniature portrait is signed "F E Duvall" for Fannie Eliza Duvall (1861-1934). The sitter is unknown. 910

Fox, C J - portrait of a 20C man

This miniature portrait is signed "C J Fox". Fox worked for the State Department and painted portraits of many prominent families. 718

Frank, C J - portrait of a lady

The signature on this miniature portrait of an unknown lady is indistinct, but appears to be "C J Frank". 344

Gallegos, Luna - self-portrait

This miniature portrait is signed "Luna" for Luna Alston de Gallegos (1881-1978), a miniature painter from Argentina.

The portrait is one of a group of five of members of her family which are part of this collection, but when purchased the sitter was unidentified.

However, by a unique chance a miniature of her painted by Walter Ferris Biggs and dated 1900 was purchased about four years later and the close likeness with this image shows that this miniature by Luna is in fact a self-portrait by her.

Luna Alston de Gallegos was born in Buenos Aires in 1881, the daughter Dr John Alston, a Scottish doctor who came to Argentina in 1868, and of Carlota Luna, from Uruguay. She received lessons from Walter Biggs and she specialized in miniatures.


During the early part of her career, she had her first exhibition which was in 1916 together with her teacher, Walter Ferris Biggs, and another artist.

In 1929 she had another solo exhibition, by which time her work was well known. Luna is possibly the best miniature painter to come from Argentina. Her work includes miniature paintings of flowers.

She painted nearly four hundred miniatures during her long career and almost all are signed Luna. Those in this collection are all of her family members.

Luna Alston de Gallegos died in Buenos Aires, July 29, 1978, only three years short of reaching her 100th birthday. 523


For other portraits by Luna see;

Two portraits of her grandson; View and View 

A portrait of Miguel Alston; View

Another family member; View  

Much later, in 2011 - By an even more amazing chance, a further self-portrait of Luna has been acquired for the collection. On the obverse it is inscribed "Luna 1914" and on the reverse it is inscribed " Luna Alston de Gallegos painted by Luna June 1914". It therefore represents her at 33 years of age.

She still has her hair with a central parting, but is now wearing it shorter, and presumably is by now married. Her work is quite distinctive, and she was a very fine artist who deserves more recognition.

There are a number of portraits associated with Luna now in the collection. Although she lived and worked in Argentina, the portraits were all acquired in USA, so it had seemed likely her descendants moved to USA and then disposed of the miniatures. 1404. However, a kind visitor advises the miniatures were sold in Argentina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later 2024. Another Luna miniature was sold to someone else on Ebay in January 2024. The sitter is unknown, but it is signed on the left as Luna 1919, and a copy is included here, in case any family member researching the family, recognises the sitter. 

 

Gallegos, Luna - portrait of her grandson

This miniature portrait is signed "Luna 1936" for Luna Alston de Gallegos (1881-1978) a miniature painter from Argentina. The portrait is one of five of members of her family. The sitter is believed to be the same person as the sitter in the 1950 portrait and the son of the sitter in the 1928 portrait. 742

Gallegos, Luna - portrait of her grandson

This miniature portrait is signed "Luna 1950" for an artist from Argentina called Luna Alston de Gallegos (1881-1978). It is one of five adjacent portraits of members of her family and, although unidentified, he is probably her gandson and the son of the man in the 1928 portrait. He is also quite likely the same person as the child in the adjacent portrait signed "Luna 1936". 522

Gallegos, Luna - portrait of Miguel Alston

This miniature portrait is signed "Luna 1928" for Luna Alston de Gallegos (1881-1978) an artist from Argentina. It one of five portraits of members of her family and this one seem most likely to be her son. It is inscribed on the reverse "Miguel Gallegos Alston". He is probably the father of the person in the two adjacent portraits dated 1936 and 1950. This opinion is also supported in that Miguel and the sitter in the 1950 portrait are both wearing the same tie pin, a large pearl. 518.

Gallegos, Luna - portrait of a family member

This miniature portrait signed "Luna 1907" is one of five adjacent portraits of members of her family. Luna Alston de Gallegos (1881-1978) was a miniature painter from Argentina.

As the sitter is not looking at the artist, it is most likely another self-portrait. The age of 26 looks right and for a self-portrait, the artist needs to look sideways into a mirror, away from the artist, to be able to paint a self-portrait. With the portraits of her family members in this collection, they are looking direct at the artist. 584

Hartman, M - portrait of a man

This miniature portrait of an unknown man is signed "M Hartman". The leather case is also marked in gilt letters M Hartman New York.

Nothing more is known about the artist, but in 2004 the Metropolitan Museum in New York used its Dale T Johnson Fund to purchase a miniature portrait by this artist".

The sitter is unknown. 1099

Herman, W S - portrait of a 20C lady

This miniature portrait of an unknown lady is signed "W S Herman", but nothing more is known about the artist. 1012

Harger, Jessie - portrait of a lady

This miniature portrait of an unknown lady is signed "J C Harger 1912" for Jessie C Harger of New Haven CT. who was active around this time. 1070

Horton, Harriet - portrait of Anna Helen Garth Goodlett

These three miniature portraits are an interesting example of how a simple detail about one miniature can bring forgotten sitters "back to life". The only information on these miniatures about any of the sitters is the inscription on the reverse of the young man, John David Garth. The seller of the miniatures was only able to add that they had come in 2004 from a Dallas, Texas estate of a lady named Chris Etenger (or Etinger) who had died a couple of year earlier. Research has indicated that the most likely person to fit this description is either Kristin Ettinger of Marshall, Texas or Christine Ann Ettinger (23 Mar 1951-2002) of Minnesota who died 20 Oct 2002, but neither has yet been linked to the miniatures.


Initially, it was thought the two portraits by Horton were the parents of John David Garth, but now it has been concluded the one of the lady is in fact his sister, with the man being his father. From the information researched and now summarised here, a poignant story has been pieced together.

Helen Kercheval Garth was married to John Houston Garth and had two children, Anna Helen Garth born in 1863 and John David Garth born in 1874. John David Garth died in his prime, at age 21 in 1895, and as a memorial keepsake his parents arranged for a photograph of him to be sent to Otto Eckardt of Dresden, Germany. Thus in 1899 Eckardt painted the miniature here of John David Garth.

But in 1899, John Houston Garth also died. His wife Helen then must have wished to have a memorial miniature painted of him also. Thus around 1900 she arranged for Harriet Hutchinson Horton to paint the miniature of John Houston Garth. Judging by the appearance of the miniature, it was a copy of a large oil portrait of John Huston Garth.
At the same time, Helen must have feared the loss of her daughter as well. Thus the artist was asked to also paint a miniature of Anna H Garth who had married Robert Goodlett, which is apparently based upon a photograph of her in mourning attire. In 1900 Anna would have been 37 which fits with the age of the sitter date at this miniature would have been painted.

Having lost both her husband and her son in a short space of time, in 1900 Helen Kercheval Garth and her daughter, Anna Garth Goodlett donated $25,000 to build the John Garth Memorial Library in Hannibal, Mo with the dedication stone appearing here. Helen lived as a widow in Hannibal for at least another 20 years.
Thus this miniature portrait of Anna Helen Garth Goodlett (1863-?) is signed "Horton" for Harriet Hutchinson Horton (1864-1922). Anna Helen Garth was the daughter of John Houston Garth in the adjacent portrait also by Harriet Hutchinson Horton, and the sister of John David Garth, who appears in the other adjacent portrait by Otto Eckardt.

At the death of Harriet Horton in 1922, the Minneapolis Journal described her as one of the most notable portrait painters of the region and reported; "Mrs Horton was also noted for her miniatures. Of her work in this field Anne Lyle Booth once wrote "Her miniatures are distinguished by a gem like brilliance, a cameo delicacy of detail and great accuracy as to likenesses. Her portraits, of children have all of the engaging charm of childhood and a daintiness of color and method that seems especially well suited to the delicate tints and textures of soft young flesh." "

Harriet Horton was born at Prescott, Wisconsin and at the time of her death she lived at Bald Eagle, Minn. In 1910 she had lived in Ramsey, Minnisota with her husband Floyd W Horton (1859-?) and in that census they both described themselves as portrait artists. They had married in 1887.

A kind visitor has informed me that Harriet was the artist and Floyd was the owner of the Horton Studio and so was her manager etc. The MN Historical Society has a number of Harriet's paintings which ended up there after her death, where they are miss-attributed to Floyd. I am advised Floyd was not credited by the family as being an artist, and his own Granddaughter was very adamant that he was not. The visitor has seen a number of portraits by Harriet and they are all signed in red.

However, commissions must have declined, as in the 1920 census Floyd described himself as a salesman and Harriet gave no occupation. Few portraits by them have been located, but there is a copy of a 1892 oil portrait of Andrew Taylor Still by Floyd W Horton on the cover of the 2003 Annual Report of the A T Still University of Health Sciences.

Helen Kercheval was born Jul 18 1840 in Hannibal, Mo where her father William B Kercheval was a trader. Helen married John Houston Garth around 1860. There are conflicting records as to whether Helen's mother Ann Kercheval was born in either Bohemia in 1822, or Virginia in 1814. However, it maybe that her father remarried, with both wives named Ann.

In 1900 Helen lived in Clay, Ralls, Mo. It appears she lost both her husband and her son shortly before 1900, as in the 1900 census she stated she was a widow, with only one living child out of two births. Her surviving child was Anna Helen Garth (Apr 1863-?) who had married Robert M Goodlett (Nov 1859-?) of Kentucky, a provisions broker.

In the 1900 census, Helen described her occupation as "capitalist". Judging by comments on other Internet sources, she chose this description as she had taken over the running of her husband's business interests after his death. Helen's widowed mother Annie Kercheval was living with her in 1900, as was a young boy, John Garth Goodlett (Jun 1893-?) who was her daughter's son. There were also three servants living in the house; a cook, housemaid, and coachman.

As an indication of how census records can be in error, John Garth Goodlett is recorded in the 1900 census twice, once at his parent's home and once at his grandmother's home. Presumably he was staying overnight with his grandmother on census night.

There is an interesting account by a visit of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) to Helen's home in 1902 at A Curious Encounter (1995) by Athan Y. Chilton

The John Garth Memorial Library in Hannibal, Mo was commissioned by Helen Garth as a memorial to her husband, John Houston Garth (1838-1899), but probably in her own mind, also to her son, John David Garth (1874-1895) as it was opened in 1902, see about the library 951 b

Horton, Harriet - portrait of John Houston Garth

This miniature portrait is signed "Horton" for Harriet Hutchinson Horton (1864-1922). The portrait is of Mr John Houston Garth (1838-1899),

John Garth was a very wealthy businessman who founded the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Hannibal and was its first president. He owned Garth Tobacco and also had interests in lumber and cement. For more about him see Missouri Bed and Breakfast, Garth Woodside Mansion in Hannibal, MO

As mentioned in the descriptions of the adjacent miniatures, his wife and daughter donated $25,000 to pay for the John Houston Garth Memorial Library in Hannibal, Mo.

The Farmers and Merchants Bank in Hannibal appears to still be in existence and was the subject of an armed robbery as recently as November 2006, see Federal Bureau of Investigation - St Louis Field Division - Press ...

It is still possible to stay at the Garth home shown here. For more details visit Garth Woodside Mansion in Hannibal, Mo. 951a

Eckardt, Otto - portrait of John David Garth

This miniature portrait is signed "Otto Eckardt Dresden 1899" for the German artist Otto Eckardt, but it is part of a family trio of portraits, the other two being the adjacent portraits by Harriet Hutchinson Horton of his father John Houston Garth and his sister Anna Garth Goodlett.

Otto Eckardt worked in Dresden, Germany but he painted a number of portraits of American sitters. It is probable that a photograph was sent to him to copy, although another possibility is that Helen, John's mother took a photo to Europe to be copied around 1899, as there are records of her travelling to Europe around 1913/14 and she may have been there on a previous occasion.

The rear of the case is engraved "John David Garth - June 2nd 1874 - Aug 12th 1895", thus it appears it is a mourning portrait to commemorate his life.

Also shown here is a post card of the John Garth Memorial Library in Hannibal, Missouri which was completed in 1902. It was a memorial to his father John Houston Garth, but perhaps also to John David Garth as well, see about the library.

The library has recently been restored and photos of the restoration can be seen at River City Restorations, Inc. Hannibal, MO: Garth Memorial Library 951c

Larsh, Theodora - portraits of herself and her husband

These two miniature portraits are part of a group of six miniatures by Theodora Larsh. They were acquired in two groups of three, in both instances from previous owners who had purchased them at the time of a sale of items from her studio.

The first miniature is a self portrait by Theodora Larsh (11 Oct 1887-1955) and the second miniature is of her husband, Francis Dane Chase (1873-?). The self portrait is signed "Theodora Larsh NY 1929".

Research, including a hint from a kind visitor to the website, has revealed more about her. A clue to finding out more was that a Theodora Larsh arrived by ship in New York in 1913, aged 26 and gave her birthplace as Crawfordsville, Indiana.

For the 1900 census she was living with her parents John and Elizabeth Larsh in Chicago, where her father was a contractor. In 1910 she was living as a lodger in Chicago and gave her occupation as artist. For the 1930 census she was living alone as an artist in New York and stated her age as 42, also stating she had first married at age 32 (i.e. in 1920). From the comments below, it appears her marriage to Francis Dane Chase was late in 1920.

Her father died in 1932 as indicated in this June 11, 1932 obituary from the Crawfordsville Journal. "Mrs. Mary Stubbins, S. Grant Ave received a message Saturday morning from Babylon NY informing her of the death of her brother John M. Larsh that occurred in that city on Friday afternoon at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Theodora Larsh Chase. Mr. Larsh was born in Montgomery County on April 16, 1852 son of Tolliver and Jane Gilkey Larsh, pioneer residents of Ripley Twp. Mr. Larsh lived in Crawfordsville for many years and was associated with the hardware firm of Tinsley & Martin."

Theodora Larsh was a member of the prestigious Art Students League of New York and the Art Students League of Chicago, as well as the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptures. She was awarded the Griffith prize for miniatures in 1926 and served for some time as the Director of the New York League of Business and Professional Women. For more about her, see Reviving the story behind an image from the past

Theodora (also known as Teddy) became the second wife of Francis Dane Chase (1873-?) and as seen in the portrait here. His first wife was Edna Woolman Chase (1877-1957) Editor in Chief of Vogue magazine from 1914-1952, see Edna Woolman Chase - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and their daughter was Ilka Chase (1900-1978) the American actress and novelist see Ilka Chase - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia So far no record has been located of Theodora having had any children.

In 1920, Francis Dane Chase was the General Manager of the Hotel Colonial on West 81st Street, New York. However, rather than describing himself as divorced in 1920, he stated he was a widower. Thus it appears he was not married to Theodora at the date of the 1920 census. 1247, 1249

Larsh, Theodora - portraits of a baby and a young lady

The miniature portrait of an unknown baby by Theodora Larsh was acquired together with her adjacent self portrait and also that of her husband. It is unsigned, but shows her considerable skill as an artist.

The second miniature portrait of an unknown lady is also unsigned, but it came along with the adjacent miniatures of two young men, from a sale of items from the studio of Theodora Larsh (11 Oct 1887-1955).

For more about her see the adjacent self portrait miniature. 593, 1248

Larsh, Theodora - portraits of two young men

Theodora Larsh (1887-1955) worked in New York and one of these two miniature portraits of unknown young men is signed "Theodora Larsh". Her life is discussed in more detail in the adjacent portraits by her.

Although the second miniature portrait of a young man is unsigned, both these two came, together with the miniature portrait of a young lady in orange, from a sale of items from the studio of Theodora Larsh (1887-1955).

Based upon a comparison with the miniature of her husband, Francis Dane Chase which is in this collection, it is possible that either one or both of these portraits are also of Francis Dane Chase, as a younger man. 595, 596

Mackubin, Florence - portrait of Jennie Walters Delano, aka Mrs. Warren Delano III.

               

This miniature portrait is signed "Florence Mackubin after Chartran". Florence Mackubin (1866-1918) worked in several different cities. See Annapolis Collection - Florence Mackubin for some examples of her large portraits.

She had studied art in Fontainebleau, in Munich, and in Paris. She was commissioned by the State of Maryland to copy the portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria, for whom Maryland was named and her copy now hangs in the Annapolis State House. There are numerous Internet references to her work.

MacKubin specialized in portraits (miniatures, pastels, and oil) of governors, government officials, and socially prominent women. At the 1893 Exposition, she exhibited 58 pastels and won a Bronze Medal. She also visited Europe on several occasions and her return is noted in New York arrival records dated; 21 Jun 1876, 22 Jun 1891, 12 Dec 1892, and 21 Nov 1903. The 1910/1911 Who's Who stated she was born in Florence, Italy of American parents and in 1911 was living in Canada ar St Andrews, New Brunswick.

The reference to Chartran, is to Theobold Chartran (1849-1907) who was a noted French portrait painter of the period. Chartran visited the United States on several occasions, as shown in New York arrival records dated 14 Nov 1896, 18 Jan 1904, and 15 Jan 1906. It is probable these visits were to undertake painting commissions. For more about him, see Theobald Chartran - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

At the time, it was not uncommon for the owner of a large portrait to commission a miniature copy of it. This is most likely the case here, but when the miniature was purchased, the whereabouts of the large portrait and the name of the sitter were both unknown. 680

Much later - September, 2018.

I have been stunned to receive an email from a very kind visitor, who has put an enormous effort into personally researching this miniature, and selflessly forwarded the information to me. The visitor has not only located the original of the portrait, but has credibly pointed towards the identity of the sitter. I agree with the logic, about the lorgnette, also note a consistent high forehead and similar hair-style.

As further below, the original oil portrait is currently for sale on Ebay, but at USD 3950 unframed is beyond my purse. The visitor/researcher clearly has exceptional art history ability and dogged determination, and I am very grateful for her efforts and the details received, as shown below. :

  

[[ I came across your miniature 680, Portrait of a Lady by Florence MacKubin (American/Italian 1861–1918) after [Theobald] Chartran (French, 1849–1907), and thought you might want some additional information for your collection. I got totally distracted from what I was doing and got into my detective mode. There is no need for you to update your miniature site (for my benefit) with any new info since I know your attention is elsewhere. I was certain, however, that you would want to see my discovery in item 4 below.

1.            This is your miniature, accessed at http://american-miniatures20c.blogspot.com/2006/04/mackubin-florence-portrait-of-lady.html.

                My guess is she is holding a lorgnette in her right hand, which seems unimportant—at the moment.

2.            My first effort to identify the sitter was to locate the Chartran portrait that your MacKubin miniature is after. Since Chartran travelled from Paris to the United States for commissions to paint only the elite socialites, I thought I had a good chance to find it. I found two portraits of the same approximate age and similar face but no other common features except in one—the lorgnette.

                a.            Jennie Walters Delano (Mrs. Warren Delano III, 1853–1922,) by Chartran, held by the Walters Art Museum, accessible at https://art.thewalters.org/detail/19210/portrait-of-jennie-walters-delano-1853-1922/.

                 As you can see, Mrs. Delano is holding in her right hand what appears to be a lorgnette. Jennie (Walters) Delano was the sister of Henry Walters, the founder of the Walters Art Museum, the owner of this portrait and a prestigious institution in Baltimore, Maryland.

                b.            Mrs. Charles Lockhart (nee Eliza “Jane” Walker, 1839–1900) by Chartran, on Art Renewal Center, accessed at                                 https://www.artrenewal.org/Artwork/Index/4308.

  

                She has something in her hand that might be a handkerchief but definitely not a lorgnette. When you view the larger image on the Art Renewal site, not only is there no likeness to your miniature, but her eyes seem very different than those in your miniature.                 

3.            The Walters also holds another miniature of Jennie Walters Delano by William Jacob Baer (American, 1860–1941), accessed at

https://art.thewalters.org/detail/26111/portrait-of-jennie-walters-delano/.

               

                The miniature is dated 1898 and therefore she would be aged 45–46.

4.            Even though I was leaning towards Jennie Walters Delano as the sitter of your miniature, I was determined to find the portrait by Chartran that had the same background and dress as yours.  So, I first searched for Mrs. Charles Lockhart and Theobald Chartran and eureka! By pure luck and even more, coincidence, there is an active listing on eBay that purports to be a portrait of a lady by Chartran. The likeness to your miniature is apparent and very possibly would be the original portrait by Chartran for the your miniature above by MacKubin “after Chartran.”

                I hope the auction is still active and is accessible on eBay at https://www.ebay.com/itm/Theobald-Chartran-Portrait-Of-A-Lady-Possibly-Mrs-Charles-Lockhart-Pittsburgh/123172640868?hash=item1cada95864:g:Os0AAOSwb39bFYvD. If not, I did make a PDF of the listing so let me know.

               

                a.            As you can see on the larger images on eBay, she also has what appears to be a lorgnette in her hand.

                b.            The eBay seller’s listing states “We believe the sitter to be Mrs Charles Lockhart, wife of wealthy Pittsburgh businessman Charles Lockhart (1818 - 1905). However we are uncertain, but she bears an exact likeness (yet older) to a portrait that Chartran did of her and her husband Charles previously [the seller is referring to the portrait I cited in 2(b) above]. We believe those portraits reside in The Frick Art Museum [I believe this is incorrect] in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.”

                c.             The sitter is not Mrs. Charles Lockhart. If I have read correctly the date as 1904 (see next item 5), that eliminates the sitter as Mrs. Charles Lockhart (as stated in the eBay listing) since Mrs. Lockhart died in 1900 (source is on Find A Grave, accessible at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46819218/eliza-jane-lockhart).

5.            Of interest is the seller’s photo of the signature (the listing states it is partially indiscernible) but I read it as “Chartran / Baltimore(?) / 1904.”

                a.            I have observed from several examples that Chartran indicated the U. S. city under his signature when he painted commissions during his many trips to the United States. Therefore, if I have read correctly the word “Baltimore” under Chartran’s name, it is a possible connection with Jennie Walters Delano and of course her brother, Henry Walters. Henry lived in Baltimore (but spent most of his time in New York City) and the Walters Art Museum is in Baltimore. Jennie lived in Baltimore with her father, William, but moved to New York after she married Warren Delano.

                Here is the history of Henry Walters, Jennie Walters Delano’s brother, and their father William Walters, on the Walters Art Museum site:

https://thewalters.org/about/history/.

                b.            A date of 1904 would indicate the sitter — if she is Jennie Walters Delano — to be aged 51–52. Comparing her to Jennie aged 45–46 in the miniature by Baer, item 3 above, shows sensible aging between the two sitters.

                c.             Theobald Chartran was in the United States and in New York, at a minimum, from February 15–29, 1904, for his exhibition at the Galleries of M. Knoedler & Co. See invitation on The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, accessible at  http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll8/id/10045/rec/2. There are several portraits by him online that are dated 1904 and indicate various cities in the United States during 1904.

THEREFORE, I hypothesize that the sitter of your miniature is Jennie Walters Delano, aka Mrs. Warren Delano III. I have a terrible eye for comparing likenesses (and it is usually wishful thinking) so I bow to your expertise. To possibly obtain a definite identification, you can email the Walters Art Museum. Online resources, especially photographs of the Walters family, are non-existent and I feel certain their holdings are extensive. A quick, visual look by the right person might answer your query. If you want to email the museum, here are the contact emails. I would probably choose Jo Briggs, the Associate Curator of 18th- and 19th-Century Art. https://thewalters.org/contact/ ]]

Ebay

The Ebay listing may disappear, but for the sake of future art historians the portrait is described as below, although the name of the sitter seems doubtful in view of the above research.

[[Ebay - For sale is an important 1904 oil on canvas French portrait painting of a lady by the well known French portrait artist Théobald Chartran (1849 - 1907) Chartran painted throughout Europe as well as numerous portrait paintings that he completed while on visits to the United States during his career. Usually painting for wealthy clientele

This painting features a seated three-quarter length (near full) portrait of a lady of high society.
We believe the sitter to be Mrs Charles Lockhart, wife of wealthy Pittsburgh businessman Charles Lockhart (1818 - 1905). However we are uncertain, but she bears an exact likeness (yet older) to a portrait that Chartran did of her and her husband Charles previously. We believe those portraits reside in The Frick Art Museum in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Charles Lockhart was friends with the Fricks who were also a wealthy Pittsburgh steel family. Charles Lockhart was an art collector and oil man (The Brilliant Oil Refinery, Lockhart, Frew & Co. and Standard Oil Trust). He was close friends with the Frick

As seen in the pictures, this painting has been restored and lined. We would assume that the top and left edges may have been cut down. As can be seen on the right side the signature is visible on the front but an inscription underneath it wraps around to the edge of the stretcher. We cannot make out the description(see pictures). The paint is very stable and it is in overall good condition.

We purchased this painting without the frame. Due to the painting being relined we are unsure if that older frame was original to the painting or not. That frame is in an antique frame shop and if needed can be located for you. Measurements: 41” x 33” Please ask any additional questions regarding this painting should you have them prior to purchase.

Théobald Chartran (1849 - 1907)
An artist with an international following, Théobald Chartran was among the most popular portraitists of the late nineteenth century. A student of Cabanel, Chartran began a successful Salon career in 1872. In 1877 he won the Prix de Rome and a third class medal at the Salon, as well as a second class medal at the Salon of 1881 and a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle of 1889. He was a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.

Chartran's clientele reached well beyond France. Beginning in 1881, he exhibited at the Royal Academy and at the Grafton Gallery in London, and it is certain that he traveled to the United States to complete portrait commissions. His clientele included such prominent Americans as Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Carnegie.]]