Randi Ona
     Early American Antiques  

19th century pastel portrait attributed to James Martin.  James Martin was an English artist who was active in the mid-Atlantic states from 1794 to1820.  Martin left England in 1794, and soon thereafter ran an advertisement in the New Jersey Journal describing himself as a “miniature painter from New York, late of Fleet Street, London” offering to produce portraits in “Oil, Water, and Crayon from $1 to $50.”  His portraits feature attention to details of the sitter against a softly blended shaded background.  Examples of his works are rare, and have been exhibited at the Florence Griswold Museum and the RISD Museum. 
Dimensions:  sight 17.25” x 21.75”; frame: 23” x 27.5”.