This wonderful self-portrait of William Stevens (1888 – 1969) suffers from mold which has spread over the whole surface. We’ve done a few tests to see how our chemical solutions react with the artwork, but once the restoration is complete expect there to be brighter colors and a more accurate depiction of the studio light, something artists are so reliant on. For fun, we found and included a photograph of Stevens; although it’s a younger version, it’s a similar pose.

William Stevens was born in Rockport, Massachusetts. He began his art instruction under Parker S. Perkins and would later attend the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School and also study in Europe after World War I. Around 1934, Stevens moved to western Massachusetts and later to Conway in 1944. He not only taught in Princeton and Rockport, but also in Boston, Conway, and Springfield, Massachusetts, as well as in Washington D.C. He was a member of numerous art organizations, including an Associate and Academician of the National Academy of Design. His artwork is housed in public collections, including the Hickory Museum of Art, Ashville, North Carolina; Boston Art Club, Gloucester Museum of Art, Rockport Museum of Art, Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, and the Louisville Art Museum. Stevens was a founding member of the Rockport Art Association where his work was shown in a solo exhibition from September 27 to November 9, 2003.