The thing that makes most portraits valuable is usually the sitter. I mean, the artist is important too, but a mediocre portrait of the president is probably worth more than a great portrait of me. But when you get a great artist and a famous subject, you've hit the jackpot. Unless it's a fake.
After 32 years, a portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln in the governor's mansion in Illinois, was discovered to be a fraud. It had been gift bequeathed by the last direct descendent of Abraham Lincoln.
We just learned that it was deliberately faked to con money from the Lincolns (obviously successfully). The fraud was carried out back in 1929 by Lew Bloom, erstwhile jockey, circus clown, vaudevillian, and dabbler in oils.
5 comments:
Apostrophe abuse! Apostrophe abuse! Gotcha this time!
You are correct!!! I will fix it, and no one will know what you are talking about. :D
Ah, no one ever knows what I'm talking about.
I do. I saw it this morning, but bit my tongue.
nwb
This is what happens when you write the post the night before and your eyes won't stay open! Sheesh. I'm gonna get paranoid about posting now with the apostrophe police watching my every word!
McBone, how's your tongue?
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