Annie L. Harmon (1855-1930) American, Framed Oil on Cigar Box Top. Initialed "AH" bottom left. Cigar box stamp on back reads "Aphrodite - Flor Extra Fina." Signed and inscribed verso "Annie L. Harmon - Artist S.F. Calif." Depicts a field of flowers with isolated trees.

Depth: 1/2 in.

Overall size: 1/4 X 3 1/2 in.

Sight size: 8 1/2 X 2 1/4 in.

#1576 .

Annie Lyle Harmon was born in San Francisco, California in February 1855. Her parents were from Maine, and had to come to California during the Gold Rush, eventually establishing a lumber business. In the 1880s she began to study art with Raymond Yelland and William Keith, establishing her own studio on Ellis Street in the 90s. Her first paintings were on large canvases, although she shifted around the turn of the century to her preferred format: miniature paintings on cigar box tops. She often signed her small paintings with only her initials, and their novelty made them highly sought after. The fire following the earthquake in 1906 destroyed 480 of her paintings, making her early works particularly scarce. Primarily an oil painter of bucolic scenes of the San Francisco Bay area, the influence of Keith is seen in her work, and this piece is a stellar example of her clever format and keen eye. A spinster and lifelong resident of San Francisco, she died there in August 1930. 

Location O