Can anybody help me on this one ? How old ?

[Antique lover]

I have wanted this old picture for a long time and finally today The lady called me.It is 3 ft wide and nearly 4 ft tall. It is painted with chalk . You can NOT touch it. I have seen black and white ones. BUT haven't seen many with such bright colors. Any info on age would be GREAT !

 

[GoGoGopher]

Haven't I seen this picture before in a whatzit post??? Everyone thought it was a young Teddy Roosevelt???

HH,

 

[Antique lover]

NOT this picture.It has been put away for nearly 75 years until the last few months .

 

[edjcox]

Check the back..

Get it covered in glass if it's chalk..

 

[GoGoGopher]

Is the frame original, or was it added after the drawing was done?

HH,

 

[Antique lover]

It is the original frame. I did find the name on the bottom corner. It is signed " E Albright " .And the year it was done is on there also , BUT I can only make out the last two numbers.And they are either _ _ 56 or _ _ 76

 

[Marcus Detectus]

The clothing and grooming pretty much dictates it to be 1856 or 1876 according to what's on the back of it. I doubt bow ties existed in the 1700s and that mustache looks identical to many advertising posters from that era up to the 1900s. One's like bicycle or health product ads. Even seen some on Antiques Roadshow where the "stash" is similar.

 

[407floyd]

It looks like the portraits of mayors, sheriffs, and county judges you see in the halls of courthouses.

 

[goldman55]

The Frame might be woth more than Picture.

 

[YosamiteDig]

Is it Wyatt Earp?

 

[Spursky]

Wyatt was my first thought too!!!!

 

[Marcus Detectus]

Something I didn't think of before. Yo mentioned you can't touch the picture because it's chalk. Check to find out from a local art professor at a college if they would recommend using hair spray to "fix" the medium as we have done on charcoal drawings when I was an art major in college. Art supply stores also sell a similar product for more money and it's referred to as a "fixative".

 

[Marcus Detectus]

Something I didn't think of before. You mentioned you can't touch the picture because it's chalk. Check to find out from a local art professor at a college if they would recommend using hair spray to "fix" the medium as we have done on charcoal drawings when I was an art major in college. Art supply stores also sell a similar product for more money and it's referred to as a "fixative".

 

[UrsusSiara]

I would not recommend doing anything to your art other than wrapping it in parchment paper and storing it in a climatically stable space until you know more. I wouldn't even clean it.
Museum Curators are great for info on preservation. A high end Auction house (Christies for Example) usually have experts in appraisal (get more than one!)
It looks to be in excellent condition. Great find!
Ursus.