I am a collector of many things. MANY, MANY things. One of my favorite collections is that of vintage portraits. My favorites are ladies from the 1950s and 1960s. My latest find is this lovely woman, circa 1952:
Currently, I have about 15 of these portraits. I have slowly collected them since I first found THIS stately lady in the garbage heap by the road about 12 years ago:
It had just begun raining as I was driving past, and I pulled over quickly to rescue her from ruin. It was right next door to my mother’s house, and I remember her being mortified that I had nabbed it from her neighbor’s trash pile (and that there was a possibility that the neighbor saw me load it into the back of my SUV before pulling into my mother’s driveway). Mom told me a dramatic story about how this was her neighbor’s former mother-in-law who was a former sister-in-law to President George Bush, Sr. I honestly don’t know if that’s true (let’s just say she is prone to exaggeration), but we’ve always called her “Mrs. Putnam.” Now I can’t remember why.
I found this next portrait a couple of years later at a yard sale, rolled up in a tube. I thought she looked like a younger Mrs. Putnam! Mr. Man mounted it on a frame for me. See the darker blue diamond shape on the stomach of her dress? I painted that with craft paint, because in the portrait’s original condition, there was a cut-out of fabric there baring her belly and the shadowing of underboob. I am not kidding. It was unnerving, so I made her less scandalous with my “alteration.”
After my father passed away, my mother let me have these portraits painted of them on their honeymoon in 1965. I have always loved them, and they now hang in my living room.
The only other “family” portrait I have is that of Mr. Man’s maternal grandmother:
The best places to look for specific things you are collecting are online auction sites. I got my most recent lovely from Everything But The House (EBTH), which as you know, is one of my FAVORITE places to shop! If you are looking for something in particular (like vintage portraits), you can simply type your search term in on their site and find lots of options!
Here are some more portraits in my collection:
This one is more of a pencil sketch:
This one is weird and cool – I found it at Goodwill for only $3. She looks to be a hippy 1970s model, and she’s decoupaged onto wood with a gold leaf border.
Except the one of my father, this is the only male portrait I have. He was hipster when hipster wasn’t cool:
So, I still haven’t figured out where to hang my latest EBTH find. Frankly, I’m running out of wall space! For now, she’s propped next to the fireplace. She just watches me quietly when I’m sitting on the sofa.
Guess what’s happening RIGHT THIS MINUTE??? My house is being photographed by This Old House magazine for their 2016 “color issue.” My house hasn’t been this clean since the last photoshoot we had here! I guess I should have these more often 😉
This post was sponsored by EBTH, which has aided and abetted my ongoing search for vintage treasures. The struggle is real . . .
I adore this. I love old portraits. I love faces. Faces of people or animals. I’ve been thinking of collecting and doing a wall of faces. You’re so cool. You just go about your own decorating inspired way being true to yourself. That’s why I come here.
Thank you, Angela! I’ve wanted to put them all on one wall in a grouping, but haven’t taken that plunge yet . . .
Love them all! I could not pick my favorite. I was antiquing the other day and thought of you because there were a lot of old photos. But none that I really loved so I ended not getting one! 🙁 That’s the way shopping goes!
So excited for you for your photoshoot! So exciting. Your house is beautiful- it deserves to be shared. This Old House- awesome!:) 🙂 🙂
Thank you, Kelly! When we first started working on this house 15 years ago, only in my wildest dreams could I have imagined it being featured in This Old House 🙂
Beautiful! Some of these are stunning. Good call on the alteration! Maybe it was originally painted for a gentleman’s boudoir? ;o) BTW…it might be time to get a bigger house
Nope. Not moving again. Ever. Too much stuff to pack!!! 😉
Wow – my stomach dropped when I saw the Christ Child & Mary picture. My mother had the same print on our living room wall when I was growing up in the 50’s & 60’s.
I’ve seen that one a few times over the years – but didn’t realize it represented Mary and Jesus!
I don’t have any paintings of people but I did pick up a portrait taken in the early 1900s of a young couple. There was something about the man’s smile that drew me to it. I have moved many times since then and it has moved rooms but it is still part of “our family”.
feel a little sad through when I think of someone throwing family portraits/paintings in the garbage/auction.
It is sad, Joanna, but I like to think of it as my mission to rescue treasures like those!
The portraits (and your home) are lovely. It’s incredible that someone would throw away the first one. It is so beautiful. I guess the lady was not very well liked by whoever inherited the painting. Sad, but I am glad that you rescued her.
Thanks, Briana – I love her, too. It does make me happy to “rescue” things of beauty 🙂
What an interesting collection. I love seeing all the interesting objects in your home! (And I love to see you breaking the design staging “rules” (not too personal, no clutter) for your personal space!! (I would buy your house in a heartbeat even with all that personality–because it is so charmingly done!)
I just wanted to say that I immediately recognized the “hippy” lady from the 1970’s. Not the actual model –but the print. I remember it being a very popular one that was seen many place. My mom had a framed print of her in our home- with out the gold leaf-but I remember seeing her in many homes back then. I am glad that people like you “rescue” the past!!! It is fun to see how you incorporate these things in your home!
Phyllis, thanks for sharing about your memory of the hippy chick! And yes, obviously, my decor is highly personal and taste-specific. I intend to never move again, so staging to sell is not an issue, haha! That does bring up a good point, though. Staging and decorating are completely different, and many people don’t understand that. Decorating is personal, while staging is a targeted marketing strategy. It’s a different thought process, because a staged home has to appeal to the masses. I’m glad you appreciate my quirkiness! 😉
I am CRAZY for vintage “lady” portraits! The first one you got is absolutely stunning.