New Orleans Watercolor Appraisal

Vintage New Orleans French Quarter Watercolor Sketch

This is an original mixed media work, likely watercolor and ink on paper, depicting a street scene in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The piece features a vertical composition showcasing iconic architectural elements such as wrought-iron balconies, tall shutters, and lush overhanging foliage. The artist uses a selective color palette of muted coral-red, dusty blues, and sage greens against an off-white background. The technique involves loose, expressive brushwork for the trees and refined ink lines to define the structural details of the buildings. A handwritten inscription at the bottom center reads 'New Orleans', suggesting it was created as a localized artist sketch or a high-quality souvenir piece. The work is housed in a simple, dark-stained wood frame that shows some signs of age including minor surface abrasions and scuff marks, particularly on the left vertical edge. The paper exhibits slight yellowing consistent with mid-20th-century origins, but no significant water damage or foxing is visible. The composition displays a charming mid-century modern influence in its gestural style, likely dating from the 1950s to the 1970s. The craftsmanship reflects a skilled hand capable of balancing architectural accuracy with artistic abstraction.