GENTLEMAN Portrait CIVIL WAR Era ARTIST Antique SIGNED 1865 PAINTING Man TOP HAT

Antique, 19th century Civil War period watercolor (with pastel and possibly gouache) portrait painting depicting a gentleman with sideburns, holding his riding gloves, his top hat placed on the table, and a landscape beyond.Unframed painting comes with a newish mat which I don’t particularly like but I’m leaving it on the painting for you, in case you want it.Painting signed and dated center right side. The date is “65”, as in 1865. I’m unsure what the name reads as. It almost looks like “C. Renault”, except the “R” looks more like a “F” or something. For the time being, I consider the signature to be illegible.On the back of the watercolor board (paperboard), there’s another name, which I assume is the name of the sitter. It’s another tough one to say for sure what it reads as, but it may be “Chester Richardson” (?).The sitter has light colored eyes and hair. Assuming his name is Richardson as well, he’s of British ancestry and would most likely be an American or Englishman.I was drawn to this painting because the quality is very impressive, it has a great look / real presence to it, and the 1865 date along with the top hat depicted makes me think of Abraham Lincoln. President Lincoln wore a hat like this and died in 1865.There are some imperfections I see. There’s what looks like a streak down the sky, left of center. I see some scratches across the sitter’s belly area. Maybe there’s other flaws I’m not picking up on, but despite any flaws, this painting will look great once properly framed. I’d go for gold or maybe bird’s eye maple.This is a large watercolor. The board size is approx. 22 3/4 x 18 inches. The size as it shows in the mat window is approx. 21 3/4 x 17 inches. Overall with current matting it measures approx. 25 3/4 x 21 inches.I live in New Jersey, near Philadelphia and this painting turned up right here in my area. There’s a good chance it was kept because it was a Philadelphia person’s ancestor. I found the painting at an estates auction, so the previous owners may have downsized, moved, divorced, passed away, or what have you.While this portrait would be a great fit for any tasteful room setting with traditional decor such as antiques, country or Victorian era furniture, etc., I’ve found that people in the American South have a particular fondness for classy old portraits of gentlemen.There’s nothing I can think of that isn’t likeable about this traditional portrait. I’m very impressed by it’s quality. The artist knew how to paint hands, and hands can be a real challenge to nail (pardon the pun!). Faces, especially the mouth, aren’t easy either.It seems to me this artist was great. The attention to detail reminds of some small KPM porcelain plaques I’ve seen. I’ve looked this over carefully with a jeweler’s loupe and fully guarantee it’s a painting, not some sort of print. CHECK MY FEEDBACK AND BUY WITH CONFIDENCE! *** 20+ years of happy customers on eBay *** Please see my other eBay listings for more great items.Message me to arrange for combined shipping on multiple purchases.