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A WOMAN has discovered the pair of portraits she bought to hang in her bedroom years ago are worth thousands of dollars.
She brought the artwork to Antiques Roadshow for a closer look at their origin and design.
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Expert appraiser Margot Rosenberg was immediately intrigued by the portraits, which the owner joked were “her girls” in a recent episode of the acclaimed series.
Visible on the artwork were two different women painted from the shoulders up in a side profile.
While they both wore nearly identical outfits in the portraits, the first woman was depicted with lighter brown hair while the other had darker brown to black coloring.
Each also had different necklaces and earrings.
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The owner of the artwork said she’d bought them at an antique store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, about 80 miles west of Philadelphia.
“They’re something that make me smile, and I love looking at them every day,” she told Rosenberg.
She later confirmed that the purchase price for the pair of portraits was $150.
“What struck me right away was their incredible beauty,” Rosenberg told the owner.
PAPER GIVEAWAY
The appraiser continued that after a thorough analysis, the portraits date back to the 1820s and 30s.
“The way that we date these is by fashion — their hairstyle, the style of the jewelry, and the style of their dress, that’s one clue,” Rosenberg noted.
Still, what gave the appraiser an even more concrete confirmation that the portraits were from the 1820s and 30s was the medium of the art, “pastel on paper.”
“What’s interesting to me is that their large cutwork laid down on another piece of paper,” Rosenberg explained.
That medium helped considerably in determining its value, according to the appraiser, as one of the portraits had moved slightly in its fame to reveal a “blue” detail.
Behind the woman depicted in one of the portraits with lighter brown hair was a visible blue background, which Rosenberg said was a “complete blue sheet of paper” behind each portrait.
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ARTIST’S CHOICE
Rosenberg said the blue paper initiated a light-bulb moment for her, as the artist who made the same choices around the 1820s and 30s and created similar works was famous American folklore artist Ruth Henshaw Bascom.
Bascom produced over 1,400 similar portraits in her career, per the American Antiquarian Society.
Had they not been designed by Bascom, Rosenberg informed the owner she would value them at around $10,000 to $15,000 at auction.
While the owner was already stunned, Rosenberg continued that if they were to list them as pieces by Bascom, they’d be worth nearly double at $20,000 to $30,000.
The woman couldn’t contain her excitement.
“No way — oh my god, I’ve got goosebumps,” she told Rosenberg.
“I adore them.”
It wouldn’t be the first bit of artwork valued at a shockingly high price by Antiques Roadshow.
A man who bought 10-year-old paintings was informed by appraisers with the show that each was worth about $40,000.
Another person discovered their husband’s family horse painting was worth about $75,000 thanks to its “desirable” style.
