This large colored drawing signed “Eleanor Pratt” caught my eye immediately when I saw it at a recent antique show. In addition to its sophisticated design, the work spoke to so many of Historic New England’s collecting interests—twentieth-century design, advertising, furnishings—that I immediately purchased it for the Library and Archives.
Next, I embarked upon a process of investigation. I began by contacting the Paine Furniture Company, only to learn that the company’s archive was no longer intact. A Google search produced a reference to an obituary for an artist by the name of Eleanor (Pratt) Humphrey in the Lowell Sun. The Lowell Public Library retrieved the clipping, where I found the names of Mrs. Humphrey’s survivors.
Returning to the Internet for phone numbers, I located Carolyn Humphrey Brown in New Hampshire, who confirmed that her mother was the creator of the drawing we had acquired. Mrs. Brown and her sister, Jane Adams, were both thrilled to learn that their mother’s drawing would be published and preserved for posterity in the Library and Archives. They have generously supplied us with biographical information and other documentation about their mother’s career.
Thus, in a somewhat roundabout manner, sleuthing, the Internet, and good luck have come together to provide a lasting record of a talented artist.
Original magazine caption: After attending Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and the Vesper George School of Art, Pratt worked as a freelance commercial artist in Boston in the 1930s. Her other work included etchings, portrait drawings, fabric designs, and decorative painting.
Written by Lorna Condon, Chief Curator
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2007 issue of Historic New England magazine. Check the blog monthly for new posts in our Collection Stories series.
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