Lot 152: Attributed to Milton W. Hopkins (New York State and Connecticut, 1789-1844) A Pair of Portraits,

c. 1833. Unsigned. Oil on canvas, the woman with lace collar and cap with ribbons, wearing gold earrings with a touch of red, which is also seen in the drapery around her right shoulder; the man in dark coat with brass buttons, a gold colored waistcoat, and a stiff white cravat, ht. 26, wd. 21 3/4 in. Condition: Laid down, revarnished. Note: The attribution to M.W. Hopkins, whose work is so similar to Noah North as to be indistinguishable, is based on stylistic similarities to a labeled work of Hopkins. See Face to Face: M.W. Hopkins and Noah North, exhibition catalogue, Museum of Our National Heritage, Lexington, Massachusetts, 1988, pp. 120-121. These male and female modeled faces with a naturalistic appearance include clearly defined facial features and prominent ears with D-shaped inner areas, as well as highlighted pupils and inner eye corners.