The Little Helper

George Cochran Lambdin (American, 1830–1896)

This work is offered in a beveled giltwood frame

George Cochran Lambdin, the son of famous portraitist James Reid Lambdin, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He learned about art and painting from his father and his father’s circle of artist friends. In 1838, his family moved to Philadelphia, where he lived until his death. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. As typical of many American artists of the time, he traveled to Europe to further develop his skills, and studied in Munich, Paris and Rome. During his lifetime, Lambdin was known for his skill in depicting sentimental genre subjects; however, it is his paintings of roses from his own garden for which he is best known. He also painted portraits of many Philadelphia women, which usually included roses whose hues matched the complexion of the subject. During the Civil War, Lambdin depicted the sentimental and psychological aspects of warfare rather than battles scenes as was typical. Many of of his paintings of flowers, especially roses, were printed as chromolithographs. Lambdin exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the 1867 Paris Universal Exposition. He was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1868.

Signed lower right

Sold: Sotheby's Arcade, 30 September 1997, lot 00010