William Aiken Walker (American/South Carolina, 1838-1921) oil on canvas painting of a smiling, elderly African American sharecropper who leans on a cane and wears a patterned bandana. A large, woven cotton basket rests on her head and cotton grows along the roadside behind her. A house stands in the distance at right. Signed lower left. Housed in a likely original molded and giltwood frame. Sight: 12 in. H x 8 3/4 in. W. Framed: 18 in. H x 14 3/4 in. W.  Biographical note: The son of a prominent cotton agent, Charleston-born William Aiken Walker exhibited his first painting at the South Carolina Institute Fair at the age of 12. He went to Europe to study art in 1860 but returned to America during the Civil War, in which he served as a Confederate private and, following an injury, as a cartographer. After the war, Walker became primarily known for his prolific Southern scenes, mostly depicting rural plantations and the daily life of African Americans.

Overall very good condition. With minor pigment losses to sky at left and right of woman and to field at center right, largest approximately 3/16 in. x 1/16 in. Frame with minor abrasions and losses, especially to corners. 

Bonhams, London; November 27-December 6, 2023; Lot 162