Americana & Folk Art
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Peggy McClard Antiques Americana & Folk Art |
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Wonderfully folky and rare full length hollow cut American
silhouette of a child holding a basket. Very young children in the
19th century were dressed alike, making it difficult to determine the
gender in silhouettes and portraits. As a result, we generally
look at accessories, hair parts, and the like to make an educated guess
at gender. I would have pegged this child as a girl because of the
basket, but a survey of 678 19th century portraits where the gender of
the child was known showed that 6 of the boys carried a basket (2% of
the total portraits surveyed).1 Had I suggested this
silhouette was of a girl, I would have been wrong. A period
inscription below the figure says
Likenefs of George Benton Osborn taken at age of ten months, Oct. 30th, 1842. I have seen 3 silhouettes of this style and all were found in Maine. I don't know who the artist was, but I suspect he/she worked in that state. This speculation is backed by my genealogy research which found a George Benton Osborn, born on October 20, 1842 in Saint Albans, Somerset, Maine. The only additional record I can find for a George B. Osborn of the correct period is a 1880 census record that shows a George B. Osborn, giving his age as 37, birthplace as Maine, and occupation as a photographer. Osborn was single when the information was given to the census-taker. This wonderful piece of American folk art has been reframed in a period frame. The original backboard (smaller than the opening of the current frame) was kept and shows the ghost of the figure. It will be provided to the buyer (but please remind me!). The period frame measures 8 1/2" x 10 3/8". The paper measures 5 1/4" x 6 1/2". (#4372) $995 1Yunginger, Jennifer A., Is She or Isn't He? Identifying Gender in Folk Portraits of Children. Heritage Plantation of Sandwich, Mass, 1995. 26. |
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