Eastman Johnson ??

In the lot of antiques i acquired I found this charcoal etching wedged between these two card board prints. I am not sure if it is worth getting restored but it seems to be done by Eastman Johnson. If i touch the paper the etching rubs off so i know it was done by hand. Its reads the withering oak and is signed and dated. While i wait to take photos of my carvings does anyone have any idea if this early work by him has any value or is worth getting restored.

 

Not exactly a reply to your question, but...
If your work is not worth a huge bundle (in other words, saleable), and you'd like to keep it, float it on an ecru background of some kind, and then have it simply framed.(Charcoal needs a professional).

The raw edges will accentuate its age -- and elegance. (Am coveting here...!)

 

It is the Winfarthing Oak. I had never heard of that, but many artists did pictures of it. It was in England. Apparently it is not longer standing.

I was not familiar with Eastman Johnson but just learned a little about him online. If this is indeed by him, you will want to check with an expert about it, and perhaps have it preserved.

 

I am not sure if it has any monetaty value but when i looked the artist up he is very famous. The condition is bad and I was thinking maybe donating it to a musuem who has his work if it does not hold any real monetary value. I think it is real from what i can tell.

 

Well! After I wrote I looked him up on eBay, and then came back here to say: a) check with an expert, and b) I'm so glad I recommended framing it as I did!

I'm a sucker for realistic paintings, and for American artists, so Eastman Johnson is known to me; he's rather like Samuel F. B. Morse. Most people don't know that either of them were artists.

 

According to what I read online he was a founder of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. So that is one option if it's by him and you end up donating.