Dorchester Illustration no. 2439 Aldro Hibbard
The announcement that Antiques Roadshow is coming to Boston in 2020 reminds us that in 2012 when Antiques Roadshow was in Boston, Mayor Menino brought a city-owned painting to the Roadshow. The painting had Dorchester connections: Aldro Hibbard the artist grew up in Dorchester, and the painting had been found stored in the attic of Dorchester’s Mather School, the oldest public school in the country. For insurance purposes the value was estimated at $45 to $50,000.
The link for roadshow provides the transcription of the conversation between the Appraiser and Mayor Menino.
Menino: The painting was found at the Mather School in Dorchester, the oldest elementary school in America. It was found there in the attic, and we found it one day, and a woman who worked for me says, “Mayor, we got this beautiful painting. Would you have it at the Parkman House?” And that’s where it’s been hanging for the last several years. [The Parkman House is] the official residence of the city of Boston of the Mayor. It’s a house the Parkman family gave to the city of Boston in the early 1900s.
Appraiser: The painting is by Aldro Hibbard. He was born in Falmouth, grew up in Dorchester, went to the Museum School in Boston, then he taught at Boston University, taught art at Boston University, and then was one of the founders of the Rockport Art Association.
In terms of the style, Aldro Hibbard was a post-impressionist. He summered in Rockport, but he spent the winters in Vermont, so this in fact is a Vermont winter scene. He was fairly prolific and best known for his winter scenes. There was an article in the Boston Globe in 1918 saying that, “Some artists paint snow, and it’s just white paint. Aldro Hibbard paints snow, and it’s snow.” And you can see the beautiful delineation of the blues and the greens and all the highlights of the painting that he really understands how to capture the colors and the light. It really comes from the high point of his career. It is mid-career, and he is at the top of his game.
Update appearing on the Roadshow website:
February 25, 2013: After this appraisal aired, we received several emails from viewers who recognized the location of the placid Vermont scene. They said the painting depicts the village of South Londonderry, Vermont. Sadly, a fire destroyed the First Baptist Church (the red building with the steeple seen atop the hill in the background of the painting) in 2010.