This is for a Hand Painted Watercolor Photograph. The artist is John Alexander McDougall of Newark, New Jersey. He lived from 1810 to 1894. His art works are held by such institutions as The Smithsonian, The Newark Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Arts, etc. This is from late in his career when he took on photography. This dates to the 1870s.

It is a large hand painted photograph of a Victorian girl. It is very nicely done with a lake and mountain background. The frame is ornately hand carved. There is a name of Banner on the edge of the frame paper backing. The back is signed on the inner back lining. It reads: Photograph J. MacDougal Artist 744 Broad Street Newark. All is written in period ink. It is possibly signed on the photo itself, but I have not completely removed it from the frame. I only opened the original paper backing, removed the original nails and wood backing. There are multiple different spellings of his first and last name.

The condition is overall excellent. There is some minor haze on the underside of the glass. The minor haze cannot be seen in photographs. Anything seen is simply lighting glares and reflections on the glass. The frame shows some minor wear and has some missing pieces. Please realize the bottom red matting has a shadow from the frame. All displays very well.

The oval opening measures about 8 by 10 3/4 inches. The photograph itself is rectangle. It measures around 10 by 12 inches. The frame opening measures about 12 1/2 by 14 1/2 inches. The frame itself is about 15 1/2 by 17 1/4 inches. Guaranteed Authentic. See my feedback and other listings.

BIOGRAPHY:

John Alexander McDougall was a native of Livingston, New Jersey, but spent most of his career in Newark. His birth date has been reported as 1810 or 1811. By 1838 he had a working partnership in Newark with George Ross: McDougall specialized in miniatures - small portraits about 2-3 inches in size - while Ross painted large oil portraits. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has McDougall's portrait of Henry Clay, a watercolor miniature on ivory. Although he lived and worked in Newark, McDougall also maintained a studio in New York City. Several of his children followed their father into careers in the arts.McDougall began his career as a miniaturist but was later employed as a photographer; he may also have practiced lithography. In addition to portrait miniatures, the artist painted landscapes and large-scale portraits, several of which are now owned by The Newark Museum. His works are also in The Smithsonian.