American School (Late 19th Century), Portrait of a Young Woman

Oil on canvas, unsigned, presented in an ornate giltwood frame.

Stretcher size 18 1/4 x 15 1/4 in.; Frame dimensions 24 1/4 x 21 3/4 in.

From the Historic Collection of Limestone University, Gaffney, South Carolina
Limestone College, now Limestone University, was founded in 1845 in Gaffney, South Carolina, by English-born Baptist minister Dr. Thomas Curtis and his son William. Originally established as the Limestone Springs Female High School, it was among the first women’s colleges in the nation and the very first in the state. The institution found its early roots in a former resort hotel near healing springs, later struggling due to the Civil War and Reconstruction. It revived in 1881 as the Cooper‑Limestone Institute, thanks to benefaction from industrialist Peter Cooper, and adopted the name Limestone College.

Age cracking, areas of retouching.