Featured HOMERUN?! HELP w/SIGNATURE ON OLD BLACK AMERICANA? FOLK ART? PAINTING

I found this today at a local thrift store - I almost passed it over because it is really dark/dirty without the camera's flash & auto correct . But when I looked closer & then looked with a magnifying glass, I believe I found a real gem.
Can anyone make out or recognize the artist's name?
Any idea of it's age?
What is best way to try to clean it without hurting it?
PS - It measures 13" x 7" & w/frame 16" x 10"
I appreciate any help.

 

If there is any chance it has artistic/historical value DO NOT clean it before finding out. You can destroy value that way.

 

That looks very interesting. For something of potential value like this, you should find a professional paintings conservator for advice and treatment/cleaning. You risk serious damage trying to do anything yourself.

 

Sometime in the past 3-4 months, the Antiques Roadshow had a similar painting... DRAT! That's all I can remember.

 

OK - No cleaning it on my own!
Any idea on name without having to remove from frame? I cropped it down to where I could go, but I couldn't get close close up to begin with because camera would not focus enough to give me the green saying it was focused & o to take pic. (sorry)

 

To my eye, in the close-up picture, brush-strokes appear to be swirling across the entire surface, rather than creating the individual elements of the painting...

~Cheryl

 

I see possibly Walker

 

I think I would be sending pictures to some of the high end auction houses to see who might want it.

I think you found a real winner! YEAH for you! ! !

 

I'm concerned that this is a textured print on board.

 

William Aiken Walker
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Aiken_Walker

 

He did paint on board.

 

I have officially joined the "you need to have this checked out/do not do anything to it" crowd.

 

Looking with magnifying glass swirls stop at each pint that color or figure stops + there is paint built up a little in places; like white scarfs on heads of ladies on porch, the 2 little pile n the roof, the pile of clothes? next to lady sitting by stairs - I would be surprised if this is a print (but I've been wrong before)

 

That's him! Now have to get someone t verify it's a painting; do they do prints on board?

 

Could that be varnish over paint?

To my eye, the back looks appropriately old, which may help in authenticating it. If the real deal, what a wonderful find!

Have you tried looking at it under a loupe? If your camera has a higher resolution setting, that could help, too.

 

If you put William Aiken Walker in Antique Roadshow search bar & click on 1st link - the close ups of that painting (same size/shape too) show the swirling paint strokes!? too

 

Yes, they do prints on board. HOWEVER.

I'm now thinking that it's varnish that's making those swirls.

 

sniped by @Pat P !

 

I just watched 2nd ARS - about his painting of a lady in a cotton field with a big sack of cotton on her head - appraiser said that some of the varnish(!) had thinned in places...so he did use varnish!
I got this with 2 other paintings, a White Star cruise lines painting or advertisement & a black & white signed photo of a man with long dread locks; 5 in all - for $40!
If real where do I sell it? I sell a lot on eBay - but nothing like this if real; is this something for there?