Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Photo Number 2780

This is a photo of a painting that was sent to me by Al in Ontario Canada.  He is a long time “Forgottens” reader. 

Hi Connie:

     I can't say I'm back because I never left. I follow your exploits religiously but have not been able to do much in the way of chasing old photos because the prices here  to buy and/or collect have gotten ridiculous.

     I'm writing to you this time in hopes you can steer me in the right direction. Several years ago while doing family research in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, we ran across a painting of my wife's 3x gr-grandmother with her three daughters. The gentleman we talked to at the time was looking after the property of his sister - to whom the painting belonged - who was in a nursing home. We left a letter with him asking him to contact us if he or his sister ever wanted to part with the painting. Luckily, he took a photograph of the painting and sent it to us. As I'm sure you can guess, both the brother and sister passed away and the painting, along with the house and contents, went to a niece who auctioned some item off and sold the rest to antique dealers. She is certain the painting went to an American dealer.

     Here's my problem and question: I would like to put the photograph of the painting online in hopes someone will recognize it and get in touch with me. Would you happen to know how to go about doing this? Any suggestions you may have will certainly be appreciated.

Take care

Al

Cambridge, Ontario

PS: I've attached a copy of the photo of the painting for your interest. We think the painting of the soldier above the mantel was also in the house when everything was sold and we think he is the father-in-law of the lady in the painting (i.e. my wife's 4x gr grandfather). The painting may look a little strange because the photo we received was taken on an angle and had to be skewed using photoshop to give you a straight-on view.

Ann (Whitlock) Hatch &  3   Daughters

I suggested Facebook as a way to reach a number of people…but Al is not on Facebook.  I also wondered about the paperwork that had to go along with the painting when it went across the border…I have no idea if it is traceable that way or not. 

So we are reaching out to the readers to see what they think.

Here is what Al knows.

Hi Connie;

    Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I am not on facebook so that option is out - but it would be wonderful if you could put it on "the forgottens" and see if your readers have any suggestions. Everything we do now is a step forward.

    The lady in the painting is Ann (Whitlock) Hatch, born at Saint John, New Brunswick, ca 1787, daughter of William and Jane (Hallett) Whitlock. She married at Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, 21 Jul 1808, Harris Hatch, son of Christopher and Elizabeth (Talman) Hatch. The three girls are her daughters but I am unable to put names to them since I don't know the date of the painting. The painting originally hung in the family home in Saint Andrews but was given by later buyers of the home to another family in Saint Andrews. The last person to possess the painting died in 2004 and her possessions were sold as I described earlier.

    Ann (Whitlock) Hatch is my wife's 3x Gr-Grandmother, and as much as we would like to get the painting back in the family, we are mainly concerned with locating it and knowing it is safe.

    I really appreciate your help - it will be interesting to see what you hear back.

Al

Thanks for stopping by.

1 comment:

  1. Shame there isn't much to go on - I did some looking around and didn't find much.

    ReplyDelete

Hi, Thanks for the comments, your input on these old photos is appreciated! English only please! All comments will be moderated! Connie