$2,875
American School, 19th Century Portrait of James C. Butler (1838-1855). Unsigned. Oil on canvas, 29 1/2 x 24 in., in gilt gesso frame. Condition: Varnish inconsistencies. N.B. In 1854, the 16 year old Butler signed on to sail with the ship "Indiaman," bound for Hong Kong. In several letters home, sold with this lot, the boy recounted the ship's difficult voyage, and his impressions of Hong Kong and its inhabitants. Also included in the lot is the U.S. Consul's letter to Butler's father informing him of his son's lingering death at the Peruvian port of Callao in November, 1855.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2001-06-10