This unusual and highly atmospheric portrait of a lady is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing we’ve ever had here. It depicts a lady (probably American) with a stare that could cut glass. She’s holding her head up while looking across to our right and wearing a blouse with a decorative collar.

Little is known about the artist, Harold Lapham (1877-1919), as other paintings by him are hard to find. He lived a rather short life and spent some time working at a mill in the town of Peru in Upstate, New York.

The painting is housed within a later vintage frame and inscribed on the reverse.