Featured Help with amazing watercolor.

I am pretty sure the last name is Macnab. I got at an estate sale in Maryland.

 

Looks more like a U than a C in the last name.

 

And a K at the end?

 

I have been looking at everything.

 

I also think the black mark after whatever is first letter was a drip as the next one is same color as signature. It was also signed in a strange spot to me. Might be his or her thing.

 

I think the darker period is a period indeed. It is the nature of watercolor paints to pool at the tip of the brush, so I do not think it's a drip. I think the initials are "I and E" with periods after each.

 

The location of the signature is completely ordinary, but the positioning of the painting on the paper was not well thought out.
Appears to have been painted from a picture of a black girl, rather than from an actual posed model.
The paper appears to have a lot of foxing, so perhaps not done on quality watercolor paper.

IMHO, I don't think this was done by a professional painter, really just appears to have been painted because someone considered the subject matter to be "en vogue" / "in style" ..

 

I see I.E. too. I very much like how the artist took so much care with the fabrics. And the way her hat forms a nimbus. Someone thought enough of it to have it professionally framed. I suggest you open it up and see if additional information can be found inside. It would also be helpful to know what type of paper it's done on. Could well be a student work. 1950s I'd think what with pinafore and pigtails.

Debora

 

I did take out of frame. Appears to be glued to other piece. I can imagine how it would look without stains.