Full-Length Portrait of a Young Girl Wearing a Red Dress with Cat

SOLD

American School.
Unsigned, New England, possibly New York, ca. 1835.
Oil on canvas.
38” x 31 ¾” with frame.
Over-all in great condition, small patch on verso, strip-lined on original pine stretcher.
Provenance: Private Family Collection, Litchfield, CT; Purchased in 1960’s from Constance Williams Antiques, Litchfield, CT.
This unidentified itinerant artist captures the true essence of American folk portrait painting. The sitter is dressed in her formal red dress holding a keepsake with a blue ribbon while reaching to pet her cat. The full-length portrait is further enhanced with the flowing drapery and tassels behind her.