An early 19th-century American school oil on canvas painting of a young girl, purportedly Henrietta Maria Tuttle (1795-1862) at eight years of age. The half-length portrait depicts Tuttle with long brown hair and brown eyes gazing slightly to the right, wearing a white dress with blue ribbons around her waist and arms, gold earrings, and a gold necklace with an oval pendant, set against a brown background. Housed in a branch and leaf carved and pebbled gilt wood frame. Unsigned. Sight: 17 1/4" H x 13 1/8" W. Framed: 23 3/8" H x 19 1/2" W. Note: Henrietta Maria Tuttle was the daughter of the sea captain Hugh H. Tuttle (1768-1810) and Priscilla Hazard Tuttle (b. England, 1775-1806) and was second wife of the sea captain William Le Mercier Martine (b. France, 1778-1833). They had four children together including a son, Alfred Henry Martine (1831-1905), whose daguerreotype is being sold in this auction.
PROVENANCE: Private Knoxville, TN collection, by descent through the family.

CONDITION: Overall grime and light craquelure. Oral history states that the canvas was cut down and restored sometime in the late 19th century. Two small circular areas of paint loss to the upper margin, approximately 1/4" and 1/8". Losses to the subject''s right sleeve plus some blooming to varnish layer in hair at right. Evidence of rubbing to old stretchers to the perimeter. Losses and old repairs to the frame, primarily to the corners.