16/08/2024
I found a print on holiday of a little girl holding flowers and a letter. It ticked the boxes of both creepy and adorable.
I didn’t initially buy it and instead went away and did some research
The original painting was produced by artist charles trevor garland and titled love letters, (1855-1906) and is an recreation of a much older portrait
The image is renowned for being haunted or cursed much like the infamous crying boy portraits.
The story goes that in 1887 a young girl of four named Samantha Houston chased her ball down the grand stairs of the The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, Where she tripped and fell to her death.
People think this painting was then hung up on the hotel’s fifth floor as a tribute to her, as the subject bore a striking resemblance to the young girl.
On learning the history, I purchased the print, now full of inspiration of how I could adapt and up cycle the image. Much like Garland, I decided to continue the trend of recreating and adapting the old portrait as they once did.
However I also feel that the subject also bares a striking resemblance to my own 4 year old self. This thought didn’t initially occur to me and I only noticed the likeness after i decided to buy it and an old post of my childhood photo popped up on FB memories a few days later.
This revelation definitely added another layer of interest to my art work and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do
