Rare 1907 Marjorie Post Portrait Sells for $35,560 at Sotheby's

A rare 1907 portrait of American heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post by celebrated British artist Sir James Jebusa Shannon achieved a remarkable $35,560 at Sotheby's October 15 auction, dramatically exceeding its pre-sale estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. The oil on canvas portrait captures Post at age twenty, decades before she became a defining figure of American high society and a leading collector of Russian art. Shannon, one of the foremost society portraitists of the Edwardian era and a Royal Academician, created this work with delicate realism that hints at Post's future transformation from youthful debutante to commanding businesswoman. The painting measures approximately 56 by 45 inches and was presented in a carved Carrig-Rohane frame dated 1907, adding significant value for collectors of early twentieth-century portraiture.

The portrait's provenance traces to R. Thornton Wilson, with a previous appearance at Christie's New York in 1992 under the title Portrait of a Lady. Its recent reemergence at Sotheby's generated substantial interest among both portrait collectors and admirers of Post, whose fortune originated from the General Foods Corporation empire built by her father, cereal magnate C.W. Post. The sitter's serene expression, softly lit and framed by a high lace collar, presents a striking contrast to the assertive poise that would later characterize her public persona. Shannon's restrained brushwork and compositional elegance reflect his academic training at London's South Kensington School of Art under Sir Edward Poynter, as well as his early commissions from Queen Victoria, achievements that cemented his reputation among Britain's aristocracy and international elite.

While not among Shannon's royal commissions, the painting's significance lies in its timing and subject matter. Created when both artist and sitter were ascending their respective social and professional trajectories, the work captures the genteel optimism of the Edwardian age before the upheavals of World War I. For collectors of American and British portraiture, this sale underscores the enduring appeal of Shannon's craftsmanship and the cultural fascination with Marjorie Merriweather Post—a woman whose life bridged Gilded Age opulence and modern American enterprise. Sotheby's maintained confidentiality regarding the buyer's identity, but the final price reflects a renewed appetite for early twentieth-century portraiture connected to figures of historical prominence and lasting social allure.