Seymour Penson Original Art or An Unsigned Muskoka Landscape; In Quest Of Muskoka's Lost Treasures

A recently acquired Victorian era painting we think my be an original Seymour Penson landscape

A Seymour Penson sketch published in the 1879 Muskoka Guide Book and Atlas

COULD THIS BE A SEYMOUR PENSON ORIGINAL PAINTING? IT HAS ALL THE HALLMARKS!

SEYMOUR PENSON AND CAPTAIN ROGERS WORKED ON THE 1879 "MUSKOKA GUIDEBOOK AND ATLAS"

     Yes, I would like to own an original Lawren Harris, for fifteen minutes or so, and then release it to auction, and happily spend the four million dollars raised, to buy my wife nice stuff. Or something like this. Maybe a recreational vehicle or a trip to paradise wherever that is these days. Lawren Harris is the Canadian artist attracting most attention this week, after some record sales figures at an art auction. So when it comes to an original Seymour Penson, who I happen to think was of the highest calibre as a painter, and sketch artist, we might indeed own one that is of importance to Muskoka, as an heirloom art piece, but in terms of appraisal, it's a fair distance from a Lawren Harris original. Still, while I wouldn't be able to retire just yet, on the auction sale price realized, I guarantee you, it would be coveted by those who collect regional artifacts and general memorabilia.  Just not for four million bucks. I would be proud to own such a Muskoka reflective period, by an artist best known for his regional depictions as far back as the 1870's.
     In our regular hunt and gather adventures, in this region, and slightly beyond (we stick to a hundred mile radius), we are always looking for antiques with a local provenance. There is considerable money to be garnered by finding the best pieces, that as far as I'm concerned, are still out there waiting to be discovered. It's the way we've been operating since Suzanne and I opened Birch Hollow Antiques, in 1986, and I can't see us ever changing in this regard. We've been acquiring these relics for our collector friends, ever since, especially in the way of antiquarian and out-of-print Muskoka books; and we are responsible for placing these important finds with those having a family connection; this is the neatest part of the business, repatriating lost heirlooms with family who thought the possessions long gone, and never to be returned. This doesn't mean to suggest the pieces had been stolen, but instead, sold-off by family and estates, at a time when the antiques didn't appeal to those responsible for their ongoing stewardship. Most of the time however, we didn't get them from the initial sell-off, but instead, many years after the dispersal. We may find these antique pieces, having a Muskoka connection (others are unaware) in shops or even at garage sales, throughout Muskoka, and even as far south as Simcoe County, and especially during our frequent shopping in Huronia, where some of our best finds are made. This is exactly what's been happening for us, and you don't quit what works best.
     When Suzanne and I shop for our business, and our own collecting interests, we always remind ourselves before our first stop, that should we come upon any Muskoka heritage item, whether a painting, photograph, vintage sign, crested hotelware, steamship memorabilia, resort collectables, or just about anything else with a proven provenance in our district, that we must inform the other partner, and debate the investment value, and interest, a subject piece would generate amongst our collector friends. This comes after numerous occasions, of driving home, and being halfway to our driveway, before hearing about the interesting piece with a possible local connection, Suzanne forgot to mention, during our tour of duty. I've gone back the next day a dozen or more times, and on each occasion, I've made the subject purchase. I've made similar mistakes in identification before, as well, and yes, Suzanne made me drive back in case it was sold in the week before we came back to the same shop. We are very routined in this shopping thing.
     We know, for example, that finding and purchasing certain resort materials, such as having clear provenance to the Royal Muskoka Hotel, Ferndale, Bigwin Inn, or Windermere House, to name a few, we would have interested buyers immediately; such that we could contact them before or after the purchase, and be fairly confident they would want us to follow through. For pieces priced high, we may only act as go-betweens, to make sure our collector clients, get a fair chance to bring a significant piece back to Muskoka. A dealer at any number of antique and second hand shops we visit regularly, may not know just how rare or historically important these unidentified articles are; and that's why we have to be up on our antique identification skills. We study vintage photographs all the time, so that when we travel around, we have these as reference points to make comparisons. You may think this is an impossible task, but we know differently. Most dealers only react when "Muskoka" is imprinted on a book, bowl, hotelware platter, or noted on the back of a painting for example. We know Muskoka artists past and present, which does give us a pretty fair advantage, when it comes to identification. I can't give away our trade secrets except to share one example of a work, found regionally, that we believe is the art work of a fairly well known, yet under-celebrated artist of the pioneering era, by the name of Seymour Penson, the owner of the former Ferndale Resort, in Port Carling. He was the artist responsible for the graphic content of the 1879 publication, the "Muskoka Guidebook and Atlas," partnering with its author, Captain Rogers, of Port Sandfield. It is still one of the most sought after of all the Muskoka related books, and getting an original, with hand tinted maps, is most definitely a holy grail to the collector of local relics.
     Seymour Penson was also the artist of choice, in the early history of the Canadian National Exhibition, in Toronto, commissioned to paint the huge murals, that would back the orchestra, on stage, playing during the celebratory fireworks display, over the lake, at the Toronto landmark; although little mention is made of his amazing contributions to the festival of those days. He was an outstanding illustrator, who could have made a much greater name for himself in national art, had this been his intention. Penson's art work, in the form of lakeland depictions, appear on high quality china dishes, created in limited numbers, in the late 1800's. These are quite valuable and are prized by Muskoka collectors. You can view samples by conducting an online search.
     Several weeks ago we discovered a small but well executed Victorian era painting, of a waterway, with a sailing craft illustrated, that we believe is a Muskoka scene, and it contains many of the hallmarks associated with the work of Seymour Penson; especially the fact he liked to place hats on all the characters he included on his panels. This one is no exception, as the sailor in the boat, is wearing a hat similar to others worn, by people sketched in the panels, published in the Guidebook and Atlas. In fact, we have not been able to find a single sketch, or illustrated person, in any of the art pieces we have seen to this point, from Penson's hand, who isn't residing under a similarly proportioned hat. We haven't seen more than a fraction of his work thus far, in our research, but enough to use this as a means of identification in the early going. The art work itself is reasonably indicative of the romantic period of the Victorian art movement, and we can find dozens of examples of work that closely parallels what we believe to be an original Penson painting. It's not all that easy to prove without a signature, or the common initials of "S" overlapping "P", meaning "Seymour Penson." Often times, if a painting was done for a family member, or close friend, the artist didn't bother signing it, preferring possibly to craft a special note or card as a companion identification. As it turns out, the card is usually lost over time, and provenance becomes weaker and weaker as owners pass away, and the younger generation takes over stewardship. It was presumed the provenance of the otherwise, unidentified art work would always be known by family and friends, and would stay in their related households forever. There are pencil notations on the back of the academy style board, but much too faint to read even under heavy magnification.
     What it comes down to, other than wishful thinking, is for a family member who has become expert in Penson's art work, to agree that it is his work; or not! It would be, if proven his work, one of the best Muskoka finds we've had in all our combined years of business, and as for being locally important, it would be museum quality to say the least. We have published an illustration from the Guidebook and Atlas, sketched by Penson in the 1870's as a comparison. See what you think. Penson or "not a Penson," that is the question.
     In the meantime, we're off an running again, on the quest for the very next holy grail. This has been a banner fall season for exciting new discoveries; and by this, I don't mean vintage end tables, or hoosier cabinets....that don't fit well into modern condo decorating schemed. We have a lot of condo-dwelling customers who like small stuff; like a Seymour Pensive original, amongst other things like antiquarian books. Just so happens, we have those items in stock. Hey, we love our business because it is adventure filled, and a always a treasure hunt without the pirate's map. Even when we fail to turn-up much on some of these ventures, we never lose the zeal for the very next hunt and gather down the pike. And as you might expect this is a very personal, almost selfish pursuit, it is afterall, for the benefit of our customers, who seem to appreciate our taste in local antiquities.
     We'll keep showing our latest antique and collectable finds on our facebook page, and should you be interested in acquiring them, please contact us as soon as possible. Quite a few pieces are sold from facebook, which means they never arrive in the store as inventory. It pays to check us out daily to see what's up!
     Thanks for joining today's blog. Hope you're gearing up for a great Christmas season here in Muskoka or wherever you happen to be. But for gosh sakes, be careful out there, as the weather in these parts can change for the worse in a matter of minutes, as snow squalls cut west to east; and on Highway 11 and the 400 getting caught can be catastrophic. Slow down and enjoy the view. Remember to maintain a container of emergency supplies in your car, just in case you do become stranded at some time in the future.