[Day, F. Holland- Original Watercolor by One of the Leading American Late Nineteenth Century Photographer] Original Watercolor Commemorating F. Holland Day Paris Stay While Working on Balzac

Paris, 1889. 11 x 9 inches. Circa 1889, Day became intrigued with the French author Balzac, and during a trip to Paris painted three watercolors while he was researching Balzac and making connections with other artists and authors. As well, he photographed these houses, and some of those original prints still turn up on the market. This is a wonderful watercolor painting of a house which probably captured his eye based on its whimsical architecture, as well as the placard affixed to the front, which reads, ìDefense DíAfficher, a phrase coined in the 1700's which basically means, I do not post any advertisements here.î wonderful watercolor executed by F. Holland Day An avid publisher, book collector, and photographer, F. Holland Day was a dedicated aesthete and well-known figure in turn-of-the-century Boston. He was one of the earliest advocates of Pictorial photography in America and, like Alfred Stieglitz (with whom he corresponded until they had a serious disagreement around 1902), he tirelessly wrote articles, mounted exhibitions, and encouraged like-minded photographers who supported the medium's artistic potential. Fine condition. Matted in a glass frame with a smaller window which hides the bottom inch or so unpainted area. A rare and historically significant watercolor painting by this polyglot of photography, book publishing and art.