Lot 487: Lloyd Branson, Portrait of Charles Vallee Taylor

Lloyd Branson (Tennessee, 1853-1925) oil on canvas bust-length portrait painting of East Tennessean Charles Vallee Taylor, Sr. (1860-1904) with a large mustache, black jacket, and bowtie, 1904. Signed and dated lower right. Housed in a molded and giltwood frame with a shell pattern. Sight: 24 1/2" W X 29 1/2" H. Frame: 35 1/2" W X 40 1/2" H. Biographical note: Charles Vallee Taylor, Sr. was born in Hamblen County, Tennessee and became one of the area's most prominent citizens. He attended Hampton-Syndey College in Virginia and went on to become President of First National Bank of Morristown. This painting was possibly executed posthumously as Taylor died in 1904. Artist biography: Enoch Lloyd Branson was best known for his Southern portraits and depictions of East Tennessee history. He moved to New York in 1873 to study at the National Academy of Design, where he won a first prize in 1875. In a partnership with Frank McCrary from 1885 to 1903, Branson became a leader in the Knoxville and East Tennessee arts communities. He was a mentor to Catherine Wiley and is credited with encouraging Beauford Delaney to pursue a career as an artist. (Research courtesy of James A. Hoobler, Tennessee State Museum)

CONDITION: Overall good condition with a pinhole puncture to the background to left of the subject's head. Scattered inpainting throughout, mostly localized around the subject's head. See U/V photography. Frame with minor abrasions.