For the collector of early, 19th century California art, here is an east coast-style still life work, 10" by 14 1/2", unframed, signed at lower right "Bertie L Emery" and dated there 1892. The shallow dish holds oranges, grapes, a banana, and possibly slices of cake or bread, the dish resting on a white cloth, on an unseen tabletop. Interestingly for art history, Emery signs her first name as "Bertie"...

This painting is something of a mystery, in that it depicts a fantastic classic castle on a hill, obviously in the Old World, a donkey pulling a card in the foreground......yet, there is a modernity to the work, especially in the somewhat cubist handling of the lines of the architecture, but, also, there's modernity in the entire structure of the image. Painted on an old board, this measures 26" by 18" (30" by 22" in a modern frame). The painting is signed at lower right "M...

Watercolor on paper, unsigned, 9" by 5 1/2", (12 5/8" by 8 5/8" as framed), the subject a mansion's impressive doorway with Corinthian columns, hanging lantern, detailed cornices, balustraded balcony, and green shutters, with lush flowering plantings surrounding the entry. Unfortunately, this is unsigned. There are some framing notes on the reverse in old hand, including "Mrs. Buckingham", but there are no clues as to artist. The drawing was purchased in New England...

Found in southwestern New Hampshire is this charming drawing, 7 3/4" by 5 3/4" (9 5/8" by 7 3/8" framed), the subject a lady with a slight neoclassical profile, standing isolated against an extensive landscape. There's no signature nor other information but it would appear to be an American drawing dating to the 2nd quarter of the 19th century...

Watercolor on paper or paper laid on board, 15 1/2" by 23 3/4" (21 1/2" by 29 3/4" as framed without glass), the scene an old Dutch town on the ever-present water, small boats and hay barges tied up alongside the houses. It is signed at lower left "L. van Straten", which is a well-known pseudonym for the listed Dutch artist HERMANUS KOEKKOEK II (1836-1909), along with "J. van Couver"...

Works by ALBERT HORATIO SLADE (1843-1922) are quite rare in the marketplace. The few that have come to auction feature coastal scenes of Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura Counties. Prices of $8,000 and even $12,000 have been achieved on several larger works that are site-specific. Some are of great historical interest, as they document early buildings and communities. Slade was born in England and had a photography studio in Toronto, Canada by 1879. He was in San Diego by 1887...

Oil on canvas painting, 20" by 28" (24" by 32" framed), the subject a great clipper ship of the 19th century silhouetted against the setting sun (or dawn) on a calm sea. The painting is signed at lower left by the artist, William P. Lawrence and is dated below that either 1938 or 1928; difficult to discern. I don't see that he is a listed artist but obviously he was talented. The scene has a fine luminosity and clearly shows the painter's understanding of light and backlighting...

Watercolor on paper drawing of a homey mid 19th century interior in America or England, measuring 9 1/8" by 11 5/8" as simply framed, the work signed "Sketch/Walter Richards" at lower right in white. This was probably preliminary art for a more finished drawing or painting by this well known freelance illustrator. The drawing contains a lot of detail for its modest size: five figures are about to eat soup from a cauldron at midday...

This is a very nicely executed decorative impressionistic painting of a pond in spring within a groomed park-like setting, complete with mini-island with pagoda type rock formation, all surrounded by flowering springtime trees. There might even be orange koi fish in the pond. The painting, most likely American in origin, is oil on canvas laid on board. It is signed at lower right but I cannot seem to make it out. Size is 12" by 16", unframed...

Gouache on paper laid on board, 20" by 14 1/4", signed at top left and dated 1960 by the artist, RASIK DUGASHANKER RAVAL (1928-1980). This is a modernistic view of three Indian women, balancing pots on their heads, a goat grazing at lower left among their anklet draped feet. The artist's works have sold into five figures at Sotheby's auctions of contemporary and modern Indian art...

Oil on board, 14 1/2" by 20 1/2" as framed, unsigned, the subject an extensive hilly landscape with distant structures. I believe the scene is more than likely American. The painting could use a cleaning as there is discolored varnish, causing the colors to appear more brown and less blue/white in the sky. There is some soiling at top mostly and a small 1/8" or less pressure mark at center in the sky. Overall this painting makes for a pleasant and decorative landscape. A wider frame would wo...

Watercolor on paper, unsigned, undated but likely dating from the period 1865 to 1885, 15 3/4" by 11 3/8" inside the mat, (27 1/2" by 22 1/2" as framed, but **frame is currently unaccounted for since photos were taken**), showing two young schoolgirls in the yard of a brick and wood shutters style mid nineteenth century home, such as would be found in Boston's Beacon Hill, or parts of New York City. There is a lot of skill in this drawing, and the artist was likely trained and probably could be...

Pastel on paper on board, of grapes and an apple on the ground, 11 7/8" by 9 3/4" and a simple narrow frame, unsigned, but very likely by noted mid 19th century American artist JOHN S. BOWER, known today primarily for his very distinctive studies of fruit in a landscape. See my shop for several other works by this artist, some of which are signed. A number of works by him have passed through the Skinner auction house in Boston over the years, placed in Americana and folk art sales. This is a...

Pastel on paper, 19" by 25" (currently unframed), signed at bottom right by the noted American artist ELIOT CLARK (1883-1980). Images of the work have been examined by the recognized authority on Clark; he can provide me with a letter attesting to the authenticity of the piece. Clark was an artist who lived an extraordinarily long life; he was taught by John Twachtman, yet lived to see man walk on the moon. He was widely traveled, especially in the US, where he came to be known as one of the ...

A large (19" by 23") watercolor painting of striking desert formations of the Southwest, with distinct modernist overtones, signed at lower right by listed artist MYRTLE MAE HOFFMAN CAMPBELL (1886-1978). The work depicts a dramatic landscape, perhaps in Utah, or Arizona, the geologic formations seemingly mimicking organic forms and Moderne and Art Deco shapes. The signs of man are scant; some shacks and a stack at upper left. Campbell was born in Columbus, Nebraska and died in Boulder, Colora...

An oil on canvas painting of garden flowers in a glass vase in an interior near a window, not signed on the front but on reverse stretcher is written in pencil "Rena Patterson" and a phone number with Southern California area code. This is a work of contemporary artist RENA PATTERSON, presently of Malibu, CA but previously a resident of many states from coast to coast. The artist has her own website, showing a number of her works, which include seascape, landscape, still life, and genre subjec...

Pastel drawing of a mountain landscape, 9 3/4" by 14 1/4" (17 1/2" by 21 1/2" as framed), signed at lower left corner with the name "I E Cutler". The scene is likely to be of Colorado as there is an old framer's sticker from Turner Art Gallery of Denver. Below that is what appears to be a date, in pencil, "2-19-31". Even though the frame is mid century, it appears that the old original backing paper with label was retained when the work was re-framed. I do not see a listing for this name but...

A rare circa 1930 oil by the noted Northern California woman artist GRACE ALLISON GRIFFITH (1885-1955), the subject a tawny field among rugged hills. The unframed oil on canvas board measures 12" by 15 3/4". The artist signed in red at lower right with her distinctive signature. Griffith was born in Sebastopol, California, near Santa Rosa, in idyllic Sonoma County farm and ranch country. Her father, a fruit rancher, was credited with introducing the Gravenstein apple variety to the area. He...