I’ve not seen anything quite like this wonderful piece of folk art before. She seems to be a paper doll. She’s painted on velvet, cut out, laid on card and mounted on a small wood stand with a wood stick holding her up. The sweet young lady or girl (not sure how old she is supposed to be) has red hair, parted down the middle with two tight curls over each ear. She wears a low cut dress with a square neckline and a natural waistline. The dress of velvet is yellow with big swatches of dark green giving the fabric the movement it should have. The front of the bodice has two Dresden buttons. On the floor next to the woman sits a cat of white, orange and grey—would this be a calico even though it looks like a tri-colored tabby? In the doll’s lap sits a kitten. The lady and larger cat are glued to a horizontal panel of 19th century wallpaper which gives this wonderful scene the look of having a patterned floor or carpet. There is some loss to the wallpaper as you can see in the photos. The entire scene is pieced together so that it has a wonderful 3-dimensional look. The wooden stand is 4 5/8” wide x 1” deep. The doll stands 4 7/8” tall. There is an ink inscription on the reverse which appears to be period iron gall ink. Best estimate on this wonderful piece is circa 1835. This is a real find!

#5724     Sale Pending