Flea Market Painting Find

I thought they were there, but when I blew it up and tweaked the colors... well, I took a different route.

 

I’m not seeing where the “i” would be....

 

It's the last short bump before the 2 "l"s.

 

Oh, and the above James W. Averill died in 1906, so it's a squeaker.

The "ri" pretty much looks like an "n"

 

"Painter and paper hanger" usually means painting rooms in houses, but it might have been his Sunday avocation. I have some watercolors painted in the late 1890's into the 1900's by a relative by marriage who ran the store in the local train station during the week and spent his weekends out in the countryside. The first one I got from Mom has a small herd of cows around a big tree.

 

Same address, same dude. Bucks up my "house painter" theory.

Interestingly, there are a number of newspaper reports of a Salem James W Averill (Alderman and Oddfellows DDGM articles), but nothing about painting (of any sort). No evidence it's even the same guy.

I feel like I'm on to something that may be totally insignificant and completely unrelated to the painting at hand.

 

I think there is more "for" him being the artist than "against."

 

Maybe more business man than laborer -- which would lend more time and money to his leisurely pursuit of painting.

From an 1869 paper:

 

Here is another photo....I still see no “I” in the signature. In fact, I think the last letter could be a flamboyant ”U” ... by the way thanks so much for the help h

 

dude. Are you messing with me?

 

I must be blind...

 

Okay, first understand -- "Averill" may not be the correct interpretation (that I totally get), but it IS a viable one.

Hoping this will help:



(edited to clarify pic)

 

From the will of the aforementioned James W Averill:

 

Oh please, I have an obsessive personality and subscriptions to newspaper/genealogical records.

YOU, on the other hand, find things when no one even knows what they're called.

At best, I'm Witch Adjacent.

 

Wow...I’m sure you nailed it! I’m an idiot...I had somewhere in my head there were two R’s in the name. Nice work!

Apparently, he or his family must have appreciated his talent for painting. Do we know when and where he died? I believe he was also was a civil war vet. Here is a link with interesting background info.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/...811942&Signature=DePPdW4c9b83rcMNHSw/CT8VM4g=

 

Since that info is actually in the article you linked to, I'm going to leave you to find it.

But for the readers here, I thought I'd add this: