11. Attributed to Harriet Beecher Stowe (American, 1811-1896)

"Portrait of Etta Mae Bowman".
Oil on canvas, unsigned, framed.
28" x 21-1/2".

4,000/8,000     

This painting is reputed to be one of a pair of twin sisters' portraits, painted as a gift to the antecedents of the owner during summer vacationing together. The whereabouts of the other portrait is unknown.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, well-known writer and author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, was also an engaging and talented painter. This little-known aspect of her creative life was not somthing she pursued as a profession, but rather a personal activity. Her letters mention paintings she made as gifts for friends, family members, and, on occasion for charitable causes. While most of her known works are still lifes of flowers, fruit, and landscapes, Harriet Beecher Stowe also produced a number of portraits very similar in style to the present work. All her paintings have an untutored quality which gives them a charm and personality often absent in the work of academically trained painters. There is a good deal of observation and attention to detail which also characterizes Stowe's work as a writer. In this "Portrait of Etta Mae Brown", the transparency of the organdy dress and the meticulously rendered details of the white on white embroidery are truly remarkable.

Condition: Relined and restored, inpainted spots over the entire picture plane.