Posted 10 years ago
vintagelamp
(1101 items)
This is a portrait by a Canadian Artist named Austin Shaw. I can find little to no information about him on line. I did find a few of his portraits. One portrait sold for $750 and it was titled "Mrs. Gooderham." He is mentioned in an on-line article about a portrait of a Constance Charlesworth. There is a notation at the end of the article:
"An Austin Shaw portrait sold recently from a Toronto on-line gallery where it was priced at $3,999 CD. His work is very nearly invisible on the internet, though there is one portrait in the Ontario National Archives.
Any information greatly appreciated."
I believe that this portrait may be Miriam Gerdes Hostetter. The name "Hostetter" is written faintly on the back of the portrait. Mrs. Hostetter and her husband, David Herbert Hostetter, had homes in Pittsburgh, Massachusetts and Pasadena, California. The Hostetters and the artist both stayed at the Huntington Hotel in Pasadena where Mr. Shaw painted portraits of the wealthy and famous.
Addendum:
A Dictionary of Canadian Artists
SHAW, Austin
Born in England. As a young man he went into the service of the Salvation Army. He had an ambition also of becoming a full-time artist. He painted the portrait of General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. Subsequently he was sent by the Salvation Army to continue work in Canada. He served in Northern Ontario in the mining communities and met and married Alice Gait also a member of the Salvation Army. Finally Shaw took up portrait painting full time. He painted portraits of the mining men he had met. Some of these men later became wealthy. The Shaws moved to Toronto where Austin set up a studio. Commissions were few so on the advice of his brother-in-law, George Galt, he set up temporary studios in leading hotels in different cities. This method brought him success. His portrait of The Hon. Sir William Howard (Premier of Ontario, 1914-19) is in the Ontario collection and appears in Fern Bayer's book The Ontario Collection. Two of his portraits were exhibited in MMFA Spring Exhibition of 1917 and two in the RCAA Annual exhibition of 1920. He left Canada and settled in Pasadena, California where he painted many celebrities.
Just discovered another portrait of her by artist, A. Muller Ury (picture #4). He also painted a portrait of her husband.
So elegant!!
Thank you, Moonstonelover!
I love it too, as all your portraits, sweet Lady!
kyra, I have a guess as to who she may be but still researching. It came from Massachusetts.
Austin Shaw is the painter who did both of my great grandparents' portraits. They lived at the Huntington Hotel where he lived for a while. Would love to send you copies.
ginasammis,
Would love to see. castlerackrent@aol.com