Louis Marie de Schryver

Gustav Oberlaender, Reading, Pennsylvania
Mrs. Harold M. Leinbach, Reading, Pennsylvania (by descent from the above and sold: Parke-Bernet, New York, May 25-26, 1939, lot 262)
Edward "Major" Bowes (acquired at the above sale)
Gertrude Algase, New York (acquired from the above)
Mary P. Henry and Robert V. Henry, Larchmont, New York (acquired from the above, circa 1960)

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting is essentially in perfect condition. The canvas has never been removed from its stretcher. The paint layer is stable and although very slight cracking has developed, it is not unsightly or indicative of any instability. The paint layer is clean and lightly varnished. There are half a dozen tiny retouches in the deep red choker worn by the woman with the parasol and in a few other tiny areas. Essentially the picture is in almost perfect condition and should be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

As a member of the privileged upper class --  he would often use his family and friends as models -- de Schryver innately understood the spirit of the Belle Époque and the leisure activities of the fashionable set. The artist developed a special interest in the proliferation of flower vendors in Paris, and chose them as the central subject of his oeuvre. The bounteous and varied blossoms offered by the flower vendors mirrored the costumes of the ladies whose salons and boudoirs de Schryver graced. In the present work, two smartly dressed women pick out the perfect blooms as fellow chic strollers drift along the celebrated Champs-Élysées, with the Arc de Triomphe looming in the background. Such a vibrant and charming picture of Parisian life attracted the attention of collectors, many of them prominent Americans, like Gustav Oberlaender (1867-1936) who after emigrating from Germany in 1888 founded Berkshire Knitting Mills, one of the largest factories of its kind. Oberlaender's leisure time was occupied by archeological expeditions, philanthropy and art collecting.  Numerous works by important Old Masters, early British painters, and nineteenth century American and European artists hung in his impressive Go-Al-Do Manor in Wyomissing Park, outside Reading, Pennsylvania. Oberlaender's collection was sold at Parke Bernet in 1939, where The Flower Seller was acquired by Edward "Major" Bowes (1874-1946), host of "Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour," one of the most popular radios shows of the 1930s and 1940s. Bowes was an important benefactor to New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral (he is said to have funded the Cathedral's grand brass doors).  Francis Cardinal Spellman, the Archbishop of New York, may have introduced Bowes to his literary agent Gertrude Algase (whose notable clients included President John F. Kennedy) who likely received The Flower Seller from Bowes.  After her conversion to Catholicism, Algase gifted the painting to Mary P. Henry, a fellow St. Patrick's communicant and her godmother.