Last week I mentioned Jane Farrell in the Stone Village. She and her mother Alice lived in the stone house previously owned by the Abbotts. Over the years I did a lot of business with Alice and Jane.
Alice Farrell
Many years have passed, and my memory fades. Alice was from Windsor. Her maiden name was either Cone or Blanchard, of Cone-Blanchard fame. Alice was well off financially, and could buy whatever she wanted.
Some will remember George Cote, of Bellows Falls. George was a jeweler in Bellows Falls. Prior to Bellows Falls, George had his jewelry store in Windsor.
George told me this story. It was during the Depression when Alice came in his Windsor store. Alice’s purchase that day was never equaled in the many years George remained in business. Alice spent many thousands of dollars that day.
Jane Farrell
I really liked Jane. Jane always wore pink lipstick, dressed stylishly with scarves, a straw hat, or pink or yellow rubber boots. She had a knack for decorating, even her landscape. I remember she had an antique cast iron sink behind the barn. It was 3 feet long, 2 feet wide, and maybe 4 inches deep. She had ceramic frogs sitting around the edge, with interesting rocks she had found in the center. Their large barn in the Stone Village was full to the rafters with antiques Alice and Jane had collected. Jane loved architectural antiques and stained-glass windows. It was the best hoard I ever saw.
Unknown to me, Jane owned an old post-and-beam barn in South Reading. She invited me up one day. What a fantastic place, full of, you guessed it, antiques.
I was buying antiques when I saw a large plaster bust. I asked Jane about it. She said it was done by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. I didn’t give it much thought. It stood about 28 inches tall. She had picked it up at the Windsor Library. Jane said the library was remodeling and giving things away. I bought it for $100.
At the time I had an antiques shop at the head of the square in Springfield. I dropped off the stuff I bought that day, including the bust. I had a period Queen Ann highboy base out front for display. I put the bust on the highboy base, and told Cyndi to ask $200.
I came by at closing time. The bust hadn’t sold, so, being heavy, I muckled onto it and brought it inside. When I picked it up, I noticed “ASTG” in conjoined letters on the side. ASTG is Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Better take my time and research this.
Saint-Gaudens Historic Site
The next day I called the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Site in Cornish, N.H. I told the lady what I had, and described it to her. I told her the base was a book with the name Samuel Johnson on the spine.
A couple days later I received a letter from her. In the letter, she said I had found the lost plaster bust done by Saint-Gaudens in 1874. She invited me over. I will never forget that day. They rolled out the red carpet for me. They opened up everything for me to see. While I was there, I bought “The Works of Augustus Saint-Gaudens” by John Dryfhout, published in 1982.
On page 68 is the marble bust of Samuel Johnson. This marble bust was commissioned by James Thomson. This gave Saint-Gaudens a much-needed financial boost. The marble bust is in the R.W. Norton Gallery, Shreveport, La.
What I learned
I learned that the plaster bust was a proof copy. Changes could be made in plaster, and when finally approved by Mr. Thomson, it would be sculpted in marble. At the bottom of page 68 is this note: “Unlocated (plaster copy) given by James Thomson in 1892 to the Windsor Public Library, Windsor, Vermont.” It’s neat how it all came together.
Making the sale
I did a lot of research on Saint-Gaudens plaster proofs. I sold it to one of the high rollers in the city for a ton of money. I went to see Jane, and gave her another $5,000.
This week’s old saying: “The butter has slid off his peas.”