Lot 193: Attributed to Ruth Whittier Shute (American, 1803-1882) Portrait of Mrs. David Stevens of St. Albans, Vermont. Oil on canvas, 30 x 24 1

Attributed to Ruth Whittier Shute (American, 1803-1882)

Portrait of Mrs. David Stevens of St. Albans, Vermont. Oil on canvas, 30 x 24 1/4 in., in a molded giltwood frame. Condition: Relined, scattered retouch to figure, clothing, and background.

Exhibitions: Reflection of 19th Century America: Folk Art from the Collection of Sybil and Arthur Kern, Museum of our National Heritage, Lexington, Massachusetts, September 19, 1979 to June 15, 1980.

Note: The painting was reportedly found behind the eaves in a barn in St. Albans, Vermont. On the back of the canvas, prior to relining, was the painted inscription "Painted by Mrs. Shute, 1835." A very similar portrait of a woman wearing a lace bonnet and holding a book with an attached label inscribed "Painted By Mrs. R.W. Shute St. Albans Feb 15 1835." was sold at Skinner Sale 1609, October 30, 1994, Lot 165.

The subject portrayed here is believed to be Mrs. David Stevens of St. Albans, Vermont, based on the listing in the WPA Vermont Inventory of American paintings.