The $30 purchase came after the collector, who usually hunts vinyl records and mid‑century furniture, spotted the signature ‘abercrombie ’51’ in a dim hallway of a Michigan estate sale.
A week later, he visited the Milwaukee Art Museum and found an archival photograph of the same canvas in the exhibition catalogue, prompting him to reach out to Dr Susan Weininger.
Weininger authenticated the canvas as Gertrude Abercrombie’s 1951 work 'Alderman Merriam’s Shells', noting its 75‑year absence from the public eye and its rare direct observation of shells.
The painting had originally been gifted to Dr John Reynolds of Kalamazoo in 1952 in exchange for medical services, and remained with his estate before passing to his family.
Freeman’s auction house, citing the piece’s appearance in six solo shows in 1952‑53, will feature it in the Post‑War & Contemporary Art auction on Oct. 1, with Zack Wirsum calling the find 'a momentous moment for the house' and expecting a sale of $150,000–$250,000.