Artist: Harriet Guilford (1861–1953)
Title:Cat Seated on a One-Armed Rocker
Origin: Probably Alleghany County, New York
Date: 1885
Materials & Dimensions: Oil on artist board. 21 × 17½ inches. In original gilt frame.
Signature: Signed lower right: “H. Guilford / 1884”

Description:
This charming and finely observed painting is a superb example of an American folk portrait of a cat. The white cat with black spots is shown seated on a red-draped, paint-decorated “Boston-type” rocker, its bright yellow eyes, raised paw, and small mark on the nose giving the sitter a distinct personality and a slightly mischievous presence.

The artist’s attention to detail is evident throughout the composition, including the visible hole in the back post of the chair where the missing left arm would originally have been attached. This small but telling detail adds both accuracy and character to the scene, grounding the portrait in the domestic world of the beloved family pet.

A possible identification for the artist is Harriet Guilford, born in Cuba, Allegheny County, New York, in 1861, the daughter of Charles Guilford and Mary Jane Guilford. She married Coy Winthrop Hendryx in 1886 and later lived in Dowagiac, Cass County, Michigan, where she died in 1953.

Provenance / Notes:
Possible artist identification: Harriet Guilford (1861–1953), born in Cuba, Allegheny County, New York; later of Dowagiac, Cass County, Michigan.