Randi Ona
       Early American Antiques

Rare watercolor portrait by Jane A. Davis with a calligraphic inscription of the sitter’s name and date.  The inscription reads, “Susan C. Fish” and is dated “1845.”   Watercolor, graphite, and ink on paperboard.  However, Davis’s use of only two colors - black and red - make this portrait particularly striking. The attractive young lady is posed holding a book sitting at a table in a painted fancy chair.  She wears a black dress with a chemisette; around her neck is a black ribbon that holds a large red pendant. 

Untouched condition, in a period veneered frame (likely original). Provenance:  At one time in the collection of Mrs. S.L. Meulendyke of Wilton, CT, a significant collector of American folk art.  Mrs. Meulendyke's collection was recognized for its quality, with items often featured in prominent exhibitions like the Museum of Early American Folk Arts' Inaugural Exhibition in 1962.  Dimensions:  5.5” x 7”; frame 7.5” x 8.75”.

For additional fine examples of Jane A. Davis’s work, see Three New England Watercolor Painters, Art Institute of Chicago, 1974; A Loving Likeness, American Folk Portraits of the Nineteenth Century, The Gallery at Bristol Myers Squibb, April-May, 1992.