Painting

Title:

Oliverian Falls, Haverhill, NH

Object Name:

Painting

Object ID:

2015.015

Creator:

Herbert, Mary L. (1828-1916)

Place of Origin:

Haverhill, NH

Date:

circa 1890

Description:

Painting of Oliverian Falls, Haverhill, NH, c. 1890, by Mary Lucinda (Hovey) Herbert (1828-1916) of Haverhill, NH. Oil on canvas. Primitive painting of falls in center, stone grist mill left of center, and buildings in background. Unsigned. Red ink inscription on reverse of canvas, lower right corner: "Painted by / Mrs. Herbert / Haverhill, NH / About 1870".

Material:

Textile

Dimensions:

H-17 W-24.8 inches

Provenance:

According to notes written by the donor's mother and attached to the back of the painting, it depicts the Haverhill, NH, grist mill, located at what was identified as Oliverian Village on the Oliverian Brook. The mill was purchased in 1898 by Thomas W. Slight, who operated it until it was destroyed in the flood of 1927. The painting belonged to William E. Page, whose widow, Mildred Page, gave it to Maurice C. Slight, the son of Thomas W. Slight, in 1970. Maurice C. Slight was the father of the donor, Elizabeth Oatley.

Mary Lucinda (Hovey) Herbert, the daughter of Dudley and Ruby (Allen) Hovey, was born in Lyme, NH, on May 29, 1828. She married photographer Hiram F. Herbert (1823-1869) and moved to Haverhill. In 1886 she was identified as an ornamental painter in Haverhill, where she probably worked in the shop of her brother-in-law, carriage maker Nathan H. Batchelder (1823-1903). Mary L. Herbert moved to Laconia sometime prior to 1910, where she worked as a dressmaker.

Credit Line:

Gift of Elizabeth Oatley

People:

Herbert, Mary L. (1828-1916), Page, William E., Slight, Thomas W.

Subjects:

Mills, Waterfalls