Pre-1877 Charcoal on Board Identification

nMarauder · February 5th, 2011, 10:42 PM

My family and I have been wondering about this charcoal for years so I decided to investigate. It's been in the family for at least 100 years but we can't place where it came from before that.

It has no discernible signature (or the signature is unreadable - I've included a photo of a possible signature). It has various colors of chalk and there is a glittery appearance to it when it is out of the frame and the light is angled properly, like ground up mica.

There were two layers of backing on the piece. The outer layer, the newest, was placed on there by a relative about 1914, according to a sticker he left inside. The inner backing is pictured. It is an advertising bill for a book by Emma Southworth. The books were published in the U.S. circa 1876 (it could be 1875) as reviewed by Parker's Magazine.

One image is the advertising bill. One is the possible signature (or possible meaningless scratches). Then there are two, one the full scene and one of detail. The piece is about 35" X 20".

Can anyone name this style, the era and possibly the artist?

John · February 6th, 2011, 08:58 AM

Wow, what an artifact. I have no idea what it could be, but it has some similarities to later works by surrealists like Dali and De Chirico. If this is really from circa 1875 then those would have to be coincidental.

nMarauder · February 6th, 2011, 11:06 AM

Yeah it is an artifact alright! I noticed a few things after I posted. First, at the bottom of the advertisement it specifically mentions a Boston based retailer, which may help place it. 1876 was the same year the Boston Museum of Fine Arts moved into their new building at Copley and a LOT was happening in art, not just in Boston but everywhere.

I've been digging around in William Morris Hunt biographies because he seemed to be associated with just about every Boston artist in the 1870s, and I was hoping to find this artist through him but I haven't found anything yet.

I'm also trying to find the type of charcoal it is, technically. It has a satin-like look when out of the frame and there are a lot of sparkles. I'm hoping this can narrow it down. The detail is pretty amazing. The two horses in the background, for instance, or the hair on the statue/pillar.

I'd say the subject is two Victorians exploring ruins, which was a popular Victorian past time and also matches time period the other clues point to. Perhaps this was a study for a later painting?

The weird geometry of the some of the sections also made me think Surrealist, so I attempted to follow the movement back in time through the Surrealists teachers and influences. Dead ends everywhere. It almost always ends in your pretty standard 19th century Impressionism.

Can't wait to learn more, I'll probably take it to an expert.

February 5th, 2011, 10:42 PM	#1
nMarauder Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 4	Pre-1877 Charcoal on Board Identification My family and I have been wondering about this charcoal for years so I decided to investigate. It's been in the family for at least 100 years but we can't place where it came from before that. It has no discernible signature (or the signature is unreadable - I've included a photo of a possible signature). It has various colors of chalk and there is a glittery appearance to it when it is out of the frame and the light is angled properly, like ground up mica. There were two layers of backing on the piece. The outer layer, the newest, was placed on there by a relative about 1914, according to a sticker he left inside. The inner backing is pictured. It is an advertising bill for a book by Emma Southworth. The books were published in the U.S. circa 1876 (it could be 1875) as reviewed by Parker's Magazine. One image is the advertising bill. One is the possible signature (or possible meaningless scratches). Then there are two, one the full scene and one of detail. The piece is about 35" X 20". Can anyone name this style, the era and possibly the artist?

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February 6th, 2011, 08:58 AM	#2
John John Malyon, host Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 2,404	Wow, what an artifact. I have no idea what it could be, but it has some similarities to later works by surrealists like Dali and De Chirico. If this is really from circa 1875 then those would have to be coincidental.

February 6th, 2011, 11:06 AM	#3
nMarauder Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 4	Yeah it is an artifact alright! I noticed a few things after I posted. First, at the bottom of the advertisement it specifically mentions a Boston based retailer, which may help place it. 1876 was the same year the Boston Museum of Fine Arts moved into their new building at Copley and a LOT was happening in art, not just in Boston but everywhere. I've been digging around in William Morris Hunt biographies because he seemed to be associated with just about every Boston artist in the 1870s, and I was hoping to find this artist through him but I haven't found anything yet. I'm also trying to find the type of charcoal it is, technically. It has a satin-like look when out of the frame and there are a lot of sparkles. I'm hoping this can narrow it down. The detail is pretty amazing. The two horses in the background, for instance, or the hair on the statue/pillar. I'd say the subject is two Victorians exploring ruins, which was a popular Victorian past time and also matches time period the other clues point to. Perhaps this was a study for a later painting? The weird geometry of the some of the sections also made me think Surrealist, so I attempted to follow the movement back in time through the Surrealists teachers and influences. Dead ends everywhere. It almost always ends in your pretty standard 19th century Impressionism. Can't wait to learn more, I'll probably take it to an expert.