Folk Art Portrait of a Young Boy. Prior-Hamblen School 

New England, probably Boston, ca. 1840-1850.

Oil on board. Attributed to E.W. (Eli) Blake, a physician at a Boston hospital, who is believed to be the "Double Swag Artist" and/or the “Pointed Finger Artist”.

The very pleasing gray-blue eyed little boy wears a GREEN buttoned shirt with white collar and holds a riding crop (a prop commonly held by boys in pre-photography portraits) as they were eager to someday soon join their dads on horseback. His face is framed by simple yet effective double-swag curtains. The very dry soft surface appears untouched, with just a minor-spot loss of paint on his neck.

The mahogany veneered frame is probably original, frame size about 18 inches x 14 3/8. Fresh from a superb long time New England collection.