Old Man Washtub Print

Lot 444 Batch note: the frames run 2 through 17 with no frame 1, so the first photo may have dropped from the upload; the tape frames are shot at an angle rather than straight across, so the sizes below are approximations only. 25-Character Title Old Man Washtub Print (21) Alternates: Framed Bath Scene Print (23) Saturday Bath Print (19) Washtub Bath Print (18) HiBid DESCRIPTION VINTAGE FRAMED HUMOROUS PRINT - OLD MAN BATHING IN A GALVANIZED WASHTUB WITH DOG, SILVERED EMBOSSED WOOD FRAME Small framed color print of a humorous interior scene: a grinning, whiskered old man in a battered hat sits scrubbing his foot in a galvanized wash tub, with a shaggy black-and-white dog watching at left, a copper kettle at the tub's edge, a wooden washstand with pitcher and bowl behind, and his trousers, boots, and towel draped over a ladder-back chair at right. The print is behind glass in a silvered wood frame with an embossed running scroll-and-bead molding, backed with a chipboard panel held by brads. A small reddish script signature is present at the lower right of the image but runs under the frame lip and is not legible, so no artist is claimed. Flaws include paint loss, dark rubs, and exposed wood at the frame corners and edges, the chipboard backing delaminating and lifting along the bottom edge, staining and foxing on the backing with a pencil inscription, dust and specks under the glass, and light fibers or lint and a small scuff visible on the print surface at lower right. No maker label, publisher line, or title is visible anywhere. Sold as one framed print only. Description Form: small rectangular framed wall print, glass front, chipboard back panel secured with bent brads Construction/Finish: wood frame with embossed scroll-and-dot molding finished in a silver-grey tone with darker antiquing in the recesses; color lithographic print on paper Marks: no publisher, title, or maker line is visible; an illegible reddish script signature appears at the lower right of the image, partly hidden by the frame lip; the backing carries a faint pencil inscription that reads as "2 2 nd" and a smaller pencil notation at the lower left, neither of which can be read with confidence Size: approximately 6 1/2 to 7 in tall and approximately 5 to 5 1/2 in wide overall including the frame, per the angled tape-measure photographs; treat these as rough approximations only Attribution note The subject, the framing, and the printing are all consistent with the mid-twentieth-century humorous calendar and giveaway print trade, in which comic rural and domestic scenes of old-timers, grandparents, boys, and dogs were painted for calendar publishers and sold on in small framed formats. Wikipedia and the High Noon reference biography describe the best-known team in that field, the father-and-son painters who both signed "Hy Hintermeister," as producing well over a thousand humorous calendar illustrations for firms including Brown and Bigelow and The Osborne Co. from the 1890s into the 1940s, with identical signatures that make distinguishing their hands nearly impossible. That background is offered only to place the style; the signature on this print cannot be read and no attribution to that team or any other artist is made here. Any period, artist, or publisher comments are offered as the consignor's photo-based opinion and are not guaranteed. Bid on the item(s) as pictured. Notes for bidders Clean the outer glass only, with a barely damp cloth, and keep moisture off the frame and away from the already-lifting backing. Do not try to press or glue the delaminating chipboard back down; it will flake, and an archival reframe by a shop is the better path if a buyer wants it stabilized. The embossed frame finish is a thin surface coat over composition and wood, so it will rub off under polish or solvents; leave it alone. Keep the piece out of direct sun, since the print has already toned. Only the item(s) pictured are included in this lot. Terms Sold as-is, where-is, with no warranty expressed or implied. All sales final. Please ask any questions before bidding. Buyer is responsible for pickup or shipping arrangements per auction terms.