to the Salon of
J. William Fosdick
Portrait Panel, circa 1897

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Decorative Portrait Panel (known as Lady Gainesborough) By J. William Fosdick, circa 1897 Pyroengraving on wood panel, 40 in. by 6 ft. Digital image by William Drucker

Decorative Portrait Panel (known as Lady Gainesborough) Detail on the verso of the label from the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition By J. William Fosdick, circa 1897 Indications on the label subsequent to the first line, which appears to be a later handwritten annotation that is now partially illegible, are the following: Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Portrait Decoration Fire Etching or Burnt Wood Decoration J. William Fosdick. Artist J. W. Fosdick $400. Pyroengraving on wood panel, 40 in. by 6 ft. Digital image by William Drucker

Decorative Portrait Panel (known as Lady Gainesborough) Detail of flowers, leaves, and feathers in the upper left corner By J. William Fosdick, circa 1897 Pyroengraving on wood panel, 40 in. by 6 ft. Digital image by William Drucker

Decorative Portrait Panel (known as Lady Gainesborough), detail of the signature, lower left By J. William Fosdick, circa 1897 Pyroengraving on wood panel, 40 in. by 6 ft. Digital image by William Drucker

Decorative Portrait Panel (known as Lady Gainesborough), detail By J. William Fosdick, circa 1897 Pyroengraving on wood panel, 40 in. by 6 ft. Digital image by William Drucker

It was his father who gave American antique dealer Bill Drucker of Mt. Kisco, New York, this panel for the dining room of his new house . Bill remembers that this impressive panel, the size of a door, graced the family dining room throughout his childhood years. And he also remembers that his father always referred to the work as "Lady Gainesborough." It was his father who had bought the panel more than 40 years ago from an antique dealer, who himself had acquired it previously at an auction.

The large panel is signed but undated. The label on the back, showing a price of $400., indicates also that it was first exhibited at the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition of 1897, a grand event organized in Nashville to celebrate Tennessee's 100 years of statehood.

This panel was selected as an illustration on page 71 of the 1897 catalogue of the Architectural League of New York. Look for it at the E-Museum salon linked here.

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If you have any questions or any information regarding this decorative portrait panel believed to be of Lady Gainesborough, please e-mail Bill Drucker and the E-Museum Curator.

You are leaving the J. William Fosdick Salon
of The Decorative Portrait Panel
known as Lady Gainesborough.

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