John George Brown ORIGINAL "Shoeshine Boy and his Dog" *** ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER ARTISTS EVER!! *** Start Price USD 10,995.00 Current Price USD 10,995.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, August 21, 2008 End Time Thursday, August 28, 2008 Location Merrick, NY See more about 'John George Brown ORIGINAL "Shoeshine Boy and his Dog"' Description   *** This is a VERY Unique Item That is Truly ONE OF A KIND *** AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY THAT DEFINES AMERICAN ART Don't Let This Opportunity Pass You By This piece combines John George Brown's favorite subject.  Shoeshine Boys and dogs.  The depictions of children by Brown were especially popular after the Civil War with a public for whom children symbolized the country's lost innocence and its future hope.  The canvas size of this piece is 16 inches tall by 12 inches wide.  The full size including frame is 22 inches tall by 18 inches wide.  It is very rare to come across an original J.G. Brown work.  The canvas does show signs of mild craquelure and this is shown in the photos.  It is also completely normal and comes with age.  Depending on your desires, this painting would truly brighten up by a mild cleaning.  I, like some have always preferred the natural state of a painting so I leave the decision to clean this work up to you.  If you have any questions about the cleaning process, please feel free to ask me.  I am by no means an expert however I do have quite a few contacts in the art world.  This is a phenominal piece of art that has been in my family for over 70 years.  It was originally purchased by my Grandfather as a present to my Grandmother when he learned that she was expecting my father in 1922.  It hung in his room until he left to join the US Navy in 1941.  It has been passed down through the years from my Grandparents, to my father, and then to me upon the passing of my mother last year.  The painting unfortunately has too many hard memories for me.  It is still in it's original state and will give you many many years of enjoyment and beauty.   Artist Biography   John George Brown was born in 1831 in England and immigrated to America in 1853. While in England he studied under William B. Scott and continuing his education at the National Academy of Design in NYC. Brown was one of the most successful genre painters of the late 19th century. He worked as a glassblower in Brooklyn and proceeded to open a studio in 1860, launching his artistic career with a painting entitled "His First Cigar". His paintings of cheery street urchins, vendors and shoeshine boys were quite popular with wealthy collectors. However, Brown falsified his subjects as always happy and healthy with just a touch of grime for cosmetics. These scenes were really below his artistic ability but he did not want to cause social alarm among patrons. Many of Brown's works were reproduced in lithography and widely distributed with packaged teas. The royalties earned from one litho were $25,000. Brown's financial success allowed for him to paint country landscapes for pleasure. He exhibited much of his work at the National Academy of Design from 1858-1900, where he also taught for many years. His paintings have been some of the most sought after works of art.  His paintings are on permanent display at many museums around the world.  His paintings are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Smithsonian in Washington DC, and many other US and International Museums. Auction History His works have been tremendously popular in private collections.  At their most recent auction, Christies in New York City sold his work "Crossing the Stream" for $97,000 in May of 2008.  His work "News Boy" sold for $79,000 in Nov of 2007.  Just search any of the major auction house websites in order to check auction sales records for this artist.  Below is just a small example on some of his most recent auction results.   Lot 193, Sale 1911, New York, Rockefeller Plaza John George Brown (1831-1913)News Boy price realized $79,000     Lot 100, Sale 2003, New York, Rockefeller PlazaJohn George Brown (1831-1913)Crossing the Stream price realized$97,000     Lot 91, Sale 1838, New York, Rockefeller Plaza John George Brown (1831-1913)Thinking It Over price realized $72,000   Lot 89, Sale 1578, New York, Rockefeller Plaza John George Brown (1831-1913)Best Friends price realized $60,000   If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  Please contact me regarding International shipping costs.  It is VERY difficult to accurately calculate shipping charges on unusual size pieces.  I had to relist this painting because someone purchased it using "Buy it Now" with a Fradulent eBay account so I am becoming a little more strict.  If you have multiple Unpaid Item strikes against you, you will not be able to bid until you contact me first.  I prefer PayPal but I will also accept Bank Checks, Certified Checks, and bank wire transfers.  I am very understanding and I will work with you.  Like I said before, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.  Good Luck and Happy Bidding! 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