Attributed to Deacon Robert Peckham (American, 1785-1877) Little Girl in a Red Dress Holding Toys.

Description:

Attributed to Deacon Robert Peckham (American, 1785-1877)

Little Girl in a Red Dress Holding Toys. Unsigned. Oil on canvas, 28 x 24 in., unframed. Condition: Varnish inconsistencies and possible minor scattered retouch, craquelure, scattered abrasions u.c. and l.c.

N.B. Born in Petersham, Massachusetts, the deacon was an artist and abolitionist active in Bolton and later Westminster, where his home, a stop on the underground railroad, still stands. Before 1828, when he was appointed Deacon of the Westminster First Congregation, he seems to have been active as a house and ornamental painter. After 1828, he concentrated on portraiture, which, in his use of outlining and decorative patterning, shows the strong influence of his early training in trade. His work is also characterized by precise attention to details of dress, artifacts, and setting. Among his portraits were many of children. Peckham may have studied with Ethan Allen Greenwood (1779-1856),of Hubbardston, Massachusetts.
Estimate $15,000-25,000

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