Antique Oil Portrait of a Young Woman

Details

Description

She came to us from a grand old house on Nantucket — one of two portraits pulled from the same … Read more She came to us from a grand old house on Nantucket — one of two portraits pulled from the same estate, and honestly, we couldn't stop looking at her

. There's something quietly magnetic about this face.
Measures 14” x 16”
This is an original oil-on-canvas portrait of a young woman, attributed to Edgar Cowan, who was both a graduate and instructor at the Art Institute of Chicago. Whoever the sitter was, Cowan clearly knew what he was doing — the skin tones are warm and luminous, the expression is thoughtful, and the brushwork up close is confident and alive. Circa 1900–1910, so right in that golden moment of American academic portraiture.

She's in her original ornate carved wood frame — walnut-toned with a beautiful floral relief border that feels completely of the period. And here's the wonderful part: turn her over and there it is, written right on the back in cursive — "Artist – Edgar Cowan – Graduate and Instructor of Art Institute, Chicago, Illinois – Circa 1900–1910." That kind of firsthand documentation is rare, and it's a big part of what makes this one special.

Measures

Condition-wise, she shows her age gracefully — there's craquelure across the canvas (totally expected and honestly part of the charm at this age) and some minor paint loss in a few spots. We're offering her as-is, though she'd be a dream project for a conservator. As she stands, she displays beautifully.

Whether you hang her as-is or invest in conservation, this is the kind of piece that anchors a room and starts a conversation. A real find.
Part of a pair. This portrait and a companion portrait of a young man in a straw hat were acquired together from the same Nantucket estate. Both are attributed to Edgar Cowan and listed separately in our shop — collect one or both. See less