A wonderful folk art diorama with a hand-painted watercolor background of a harbor scene, with a woman shucking oysters in the foreground with two cats begging for oysters on the dock. Her sign on the stone wall says Oysters Fresh Every Day and her basket of oysters sits below it. The diorama uses the textiles for the dress, hat, and towel, as well as paper painted figures of the woman, cats, plates, knives, and oysters to create the three-dimensional effect. The woman even wears a three-dimensional coral bead necklace. She holds her oyster knife with a hand that shows cuts and scrapes which attest to her job. Her sleeves end in real lace and her fabric apron shows stains that a woman in her profession had to have. Her bonnet is very well done. The diorama is signed E.M.M. center right, mounted under glass with a rope lining, and housed in a period maple veneered frame, with a few scratches and small loss of veneer in lower right corner. This great framed piece of folk art probably dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. Dimensions with the frame are 18 3/4” x 15” with the sight size 11 3/4” x 15 1/2”.

#6542    $950