Lot 157: Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Pastel Portrait, Charleston SC Flower Seller

Elizabeth Quale O’Neill Verner (South Carolina, 1883-1979) pastel on silk portrait depicting a Charleston, South Carolina flower vendor seated and holding a bouquet of flowering branches. She smokes a pipe and wears a bright blue head wrap. Signed “Elizabeth O’Neill Verner” lower right. Housed in a beveled oak frame. Sight: 8 1/2 in. H x 7 7/8 in. W. Framed: 11 3/4 in. H x 11 1/4 in. W. Biography: “A native of Charleston, Elizabeth O’Neill Verner was an artist, teacher, and preservationist who became one of South Carolina’s best known practitioners of the early twentieth century. Pastels and printmaking were her preferred media, and her images of residences, churches, and street scenes were widely recognized for their skill and authenticity, and for capturing the romantic sensibility of Charleston. She began her art training under the guidance of Alice Ravenel Huger Smith and then continued at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, beginning in 1901 for two years with noted instructor Thomas Anshutz. Following her time at the academy, she taught art in Aiken, South Carolina, before returning to Charleston. In 1907, she met and married E. Pettigrew Verner and raised their two children. She resumed her studies with Smith and turned her attention to depictions of her hometown, which she infused with the charm and local color that distinguishes Charleston. In landscapes and cityscapes, Verner often focused on the architecture and environment while deemphasizing any human presence. She eventually expanded her range to become an able portraitist and figurative painter.” (Source: The Johnson Collection.)

CONDITION: Overall very good condition. Scattered foxing to the background. Minor wear and spotting to the frame.