Rare "Fishing Lady" canvaswork Picture, Anonymous, Boston, circa 1750

Worked in wool and silk threads on a linen ground, with the figure of a "fishing lady" a fish on her line and basket of fish at her feet, her swain stands at right. Small areas of the figures are unfinished. Height 16 in. by width 20 in.

The heirs of Elizabeth Cabot Cochran, daughter of Nancy Graves Cabot, Jamaica Plains, Boston, Massachusetts

In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The fishing lady group now includes a variety of pastoral compositions in canvas work or crewels on linen, and they may appear on sconces, screens, pictures, chimney pieces, chair seats, valances, samplers, the tops for card tables, or even petticoat borders. See Nancy Graves Cabot, "The Fishing Lady and Boston Common," The Magazine Antiques, July 1941, p. 47-49; and Nancy Graves Cabot, "Engravings and Embroideries, The Sources of Some Designs in the Fishing Lady Pictures," The Magazine Antiques, December 1941, p. 50-52.

Nancy Graves Cabot was an avid art researcher and was renowned at the Boston Museum of Fine Art for her research into the history od textiles, particularly in establishing print sources for New England embroidered pictures.

Her research materials were donated to the Department of Textiles, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.