instant ancestors

I went to my favorite auction last night. Early on the prices were crazy high, but toward the end of the evening a lot of people left and I got a few things. 

 I had to have this hand colored photograph of a little girl in her sailor dress.

 The dreamy-looking woman drew me to this chromolithograph, but I was also attracted to the sweet pink flowers. It looks like something out of a fairy tale. The color pictures in some very old books were chromolithographs.

 There are pots of small flowering trees, and soft greens and pinks that don't appear to be quite a carpet or the ground--sort of mysterious since one of the little girls shoes disappears into it. The window and curtain tell us that she is inside. The delicate colors and rendering of the background contrast with the dark formality of the sailor dress and the pose.

The woman is holding a bunch of lilacs, and there is another on the ground, though there are none growing in the picture.

Here are some portraits I've collected that have shown up on this blog before, but I think it's nice to look at them together.

 A steel engraving of two little girls, titled The First Lesson.

 A pastel of a sweet and solemn child.

 This print sold quickly, but there has been little interest in the two pictures shown above it.

 Formal family portrait. I'm sure there are clues in their clothes that would tell where they are from and when this was taken.

She looks like a Native American, and I like the hint of a smile. I haven't put her or the family portrait above in the store yet. I have a couple more of a similar style, and will hang them together--I think they will draw more interest that way. Auctioneers often call them "instant ancestors".

Oil on canvas.

When I re-do the store this spring, I am going to put a focus on the art, which is my favorite thing to collect.

Jen