Featured Is There Any Way To Confirm History?

Without having to pay for it.

This piece could go in either jewelry or art. It's beautiful.

There's no reason to think whoever wrote the note was lying. Lida Williams was a miniature portraitist born in 1859 and a few of her pieces are in Kentucky museums.

I seriously doubt they got the name of the child wrong. So, the art is just beautiful. I marvel at people who can create such small but detailed paintings.

The part that I would love to confirm is that the frame came from the Hearst estate. This portrait was made and stayed in Kentucky till it arrived at my house yesterday in PA (it's one and only road trip). So, I imagine the Phillips got the frame from an auction. I did find an article online that much of Hearst's belongings were sold in the early 1940s, which would correspond with this piece being made in 1944.

Is there any way to confirm a piece's history without paying some auction house or dealer a mint to make an educated guess?

The piece is beautiful in person. In the sale, they didn't show a photo of the back, which is almost as cool as the front. The strange part is, the hair is held together with pink not blue, and this is a boy's painting. It was Kentucky in the 40s.

 

That is the sweetest thing ever.

Debora

 

He hardly changed.

https://www.thegleaner.com/obituaries/evc027400

Debora

 

Could you post a link to the Hearst sale?

Debora

 

Pink was the colour for boys here until the early twentieth or thereabouts.

 

WOW, simply WOW and THANK YOU!

 

Now Im wondering if there is something under his picture ?