O'Brien, Claudia Veva - portrait of Vinnie Brown

A previously unrecorded American artist painted this miniature portrait.

It is signed on the front "V O'Brien" and the note inside reads "1906 - Miss Vinnie Brown - Minneapolis - by Veva O'Brien".

After some research it appears the artist is Claudia Veva O'Brien (7 May 1878 - 11 May 1949) who was born at Liberty, Montgomery, Kansas.

She was the daughter of John O'Brien (30 Jan 1841 - 13 Jan 1905) and Anue [Anne?] Jane Broughton (21 Des 1852- 25 Apr 1940) who were married 11 March 1870. Claudia had three brothers, Oscar, Edwin Enoch, and William.

In the 1881 census, Claudia is named Claudy OBrian and her father was a farmer at Liberty. The census took place before her brothers were born, but a sign of the times, is that her parents had a servant, Shella Bell who was only eleven years old.

It seems Claudia never married.

It has been harder to find anything out about the sitter, Miss Vinnie Brown.

Probably her name was Virginia Brown and she was born around 1885.

Although it is hard to see in the image, the reverse of the case is inscribed. "Mamma from Vinnie Xmas 1905" 1367