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Charming and wonderfully unusual early 19th-century folk art watercolor portrait, believed to date to approximately the 1830s–1840s.
The portrait depicts a young woman seated in a simple chair wearing a blue-green striped dress with dramatically full sleeves and holding a large basket filled with red strawberries. The berries are individually painted with tiny dark seeds and contrasting leaves.
The wonderfully naive rendering of the sitter—with large expressive eyes, rosy cheeks and simplified features—gives the portrait the distinctive character sought in early American primitive and folk art.
Presented under glass in an old gilt wood frame with large domed corner ornaments. The frame has substantial natural wear and patina, and the reverse retains an old heavy wood plank backing with early-style fasteners and hanging hardware. The entire presentation has a wonderfully untouched appearance.
Unsigned. Artist and sitter are unknown. No attribution is being made. Dating is based on the style of the sitter’s clothing and the apparent age and construction of the artwork and frame.
Condition: Displays beautifully with substantial age-related character. The watercolor/paper shows toning, fading, age lines and cracking. There is a noticeable tear/cracked area in the paper near the chair at the sitter’s right shoulder. The gilt frame has extensive expected wear, losses, scratches, dark spots and patina. Old hanging wire is worn. Artwork has not been removed from the frame. Please examine photographs carefully for condition and construction.
Approximately 10½” tall overall; see measurement photograph for scale.
A particularly appealing early folk portrait with an unusual strawberry theme—wonderful for an American folk art, primitive, Americana or early portrait collection.
Item specifics / keywords
Original: Yes
Type: Painting / Watercolor
Style: Folk Art / Primitive / Naive
Subject: Portrait, Woman, Strawberries, Food
Time Period: 19th Century
Production Technique: Watercolor / Ink
Features: Framed, One of a Kind
Keywords: early American folk art, primitive portrait, naive watercolor, strawberry basket, girl with strawberries, antique portrait, 1840s watercolor, Americana, AAFA, original folk painting
