Lot 922: George H. Story signed American Portrait of a Lady

George H. Story (American, 1835-1923) oil on canvas portrait of a lady, 1867, with brunette hair, pulled back, wearing a black dress with white lace collar, mourning brooch and red coat. Signed at left “G.H. Storey” and dated 1867. Original canvas with Dubois Artists Materials backstamp verso. Later molded and painted frame with oval aperture. Stretcher: 24 in H x 20 in W. Sight: 24 in x 18 in. Frame: 35 1/2 in x 31 1/2 in. Biography: Connecticut George H. Story is perhaps best known for his portraits of president Abraham Lincoln and for serving as curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and the Wadsworth Athaneum in Hartford, CT. As a youth, he apprenticed as a woodcarver and later studied art in Europe and under portraitists Louis Ball and Charles Hines. He painted mainly in Maine, Washington DC and New York City, and his works are in the collections of the  National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut; and Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

PROVENANCE:  The collection of Belmont University art history professor Judy Bullington.

CONDITION: 1 1/2″ area of loss to paint upper right corner, concealed by frame. UV light inspection reveals scattered retouch to background and to subject’s visible ear. Canvas has not been lined and exhibits craquelure throughout. Frame is not original.