B. Grant watercolorist

unnamed, B. Grant, 8" x 10", watercolor

The seller of this painting speculated that it could be the work of Blanche Chloe Grant (1874-1948), based on the signature and label from a prominent Boston art dealer. Grant is best known for western scenes as she moved to Taos, New Mexico in the 1920s, where she painted mostly in oils. She studied in Boston at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts and at the Art Students League, first, though, and worked as an illustrator with Howard Pyle.  My research shows that she won a prize for her watercolor work before 1920 and also travelled to Europe to study and paint before moving to Taos, so it is easy to understand this attribution.

 Label, verso

There are problems with this attribution, though. When I received the painting, I realized that it had been opened and that some modern materials, probably from the 1990s, had been used to mount this watercolor, so it cannot be confirmed that that this painting is original to this frame, or even that the label is original to the frame.

Signature

At first examination, I thought that the signature might have been done with a ballpoint pen, but close examination with a magnifying glass shows that it was more likely done with a fountain pen. All in all, a nicely done watercolor that could easily date to the 1920s, or before, and may, or may not, have origins in Boston, and may, or may not, be the work of Blanche Chloe Grant. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who is familiar with the early work of Ms. Grant and can confirm whether or not this is her work. In the mean time, this remains a mystery artist.