IDA WAUGH (1846-1919, American) YOUNG MOTHER AND INFANT

IDA WAUGH (1846-1919, American) YOUNG MOTHER AND INFANT

05-107

This wonderful oil on board portrait of a beautiful young mother with an adorable, cheruby infant in her arms. This painting was done by Ida Waugh, who worked with Prang’s Chromolithograph Co. Waugh came from a family of famous painters including her half-brother Frederic Judd Waugh and her father, Samuel Bell. Her stepmother, Mary Eliza Young Waugh was a well-known miniaturist. Ida was an accomplished painter during a time when women in the art world were rare. Ida studied at the Academy Julien and the Academy del le’Cluse in Paris. Ida had a lifelong friend Amy Blanchard, whom she produced children’s books with. Amy Blanchard would write the script, whereas Ida would create all the beautiful pictures of young cheruby babies.

She received various awards for her works. Many or most of her children’s books were published by the world-renowned chromolithography studio from Boston, Mass. by the name of L. Prang & Co. One of her paintings depicting six darling cheruby infants was used in a book published by Prang. Signed on the front in the upper right-hand corner, and also boldly signed on the back “Young Mother by Ida Waugh 40100 Pine St, Philadelphia, Penna”. Housed in a simple gilt frame with an old, original label at the bottom titled “Ida Waugh”. Ida passed in 1919 and spent many summers on Bailey Island in Maine’s Casco Bay. She and her friend Amy were instrumental for organizing the building of a summer chapel for the Episcopalian Church there on Bailey’s Island, which was completed in 1916.

SIZE: 9″ x 7″. Overall including the frame is 9 1/4″ w x 11 1/4″ h.