Frances Fairman Litho

This is a close up of a tiny, 4 inch by 2 inch Frances Fairman (1836-1923) lithograph printed on leather. It is from the 1920's. Frances Fairmans' breed of choice was the Japanese Chin,( known back then as the Japanese Spaniel) but this English artist was known the world over for exquisite dog portraits. She was particularly fond of doing head studies. One of her patrons was Queen Alexandra and a journalist from the Ladies Kennel Association made this lovely quote about her...
"What Miss Fairman feels about flowers and fruits she feels about dogs, she loves to have them around her. The walls of her studio are lined with studies of tropical vegetation, portraits of dogs, studies of her own dogs, studies of heads of famous dogs, and her own pet spaniels lie in their cages in the middle of the studio and repose in her visitor's laps."
This piece is embossed and painted with gold highlights. I especially am attracted to the detail of these beautiful German Shepherds. Note the fine chiseling on the heads. This charming litho certainly captures the elegance of this breed...