A framed oil on canvas portrait of Charlotte Paxton Kendall by an unknown artist. There is no visible signature on the painting nor on the backside of the frame. Although our cataloguer tracked down who she is and her relevance (please see below), the exact year this portrait was commissioned is unknown. 

Dimensions: (painting, sight) 32.75h x 26.5w inches, (frame) 44.75h x 38.75w inches

Charlotte Paxton was born 1807 in Bedfordshire, England. Her father was William Paxton (1783-1859), a farmer and bailiff, and her mother Mary Anne Pitkin (1781-1864). Her uncle was Sir Joseph Paxton (1803-1865), the architect, botanist, and former member of parliament, who designed The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London to house the 1851 Great Exhibition. 

In 1827, she married Joseph Kendall of Oxfordshire and gave birth to their first daughter, Lucy, the following year. In 1830, the family left for New York City in hopes of bettering their fortune. Joseph started earning money by retailing paints, oils, and varnishes as well as contracting ships' interior design. Charlotte then gave birth to their second daughter, Mary Ann, in 1836. While Joseph made well money in his work, regular exposure to gases and lead in the wares of the trade made him near permanently invalid. 

In this vulnerable state and with word of gold in California spreading, Kendall decided to take his chance and hop aboard the earliest ship to the West Coast. On March 27th, 1849 the bark Canton left the Port of New York arriving off San Francisco on October 6th. The long trip down the Atlantic and up the Pacific is largely captured in his journal with letters to his wife and daughters. Though there is no record of Kendall striking a gold fortune, in 1852 he settled in a home on Yerba Buena Street (north of Sacramento) where Charlotte with their daughters soon joined him. 

Sadly, their complete happiness only lasted until 1854, when Charlotte passed at the age of 47 following a short illness. She was originally buried in Yerba Buena Cemetery. Later that same year, their second daughter Mary Anne married Albert Miller, who worked in banking and later became the President of the San Francisco Savings Union and the Pacific Gas Improvement Company. 

Joseph fell permanently disabled 2-years later and was presumably cared for through his daughter and son-in-law's aid before dying in 1864 at the age of 61. He was originally buried in Searsville, San Mateo County. Following the death of Albert Miller in 1900, the Kendall couple was reinterred in 1901 at Mt. View, Oakland in plots next to his, where they all remain today.

Sources: 

• https://www.abebooks.com/Landsmans-Voyage-California-Being-Account-Compiled/30899665935/bd
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61420928/charlotte-kendall/photo
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61420867/joseph-kendall/photo
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61435763/mary_ann-miller

This piece is too large and heavy for us to ship and can only be picked up at our warehouse in Sacramento, CA. Pick-up appointments and details can be arranged by calling (916)-642-5193 or emailing hello@annexauctions.com. A shipper of your choosing can also be scheduled. For shipments within the state of California, we recommend Delbert McCrea: (831)-566-6088. For shipments nationwide, we recommend CCC Transport (corlancartage@gmail.com or (920) 450-5027).

Fair. Under blacklight, there is damage to the painting and canvas on the upper right side of the subject's hair. There is also a second scratch above her hand holding the handkerchief. Lastly, there is damage on the left side of the painting where the shawl wraps around her shoulder. All of these have been restored, however it's a crude job. Please see photos.