Sometimes a family heirloom that was forgotten turns out to be worth much more than anyone could have imagined. A 100-year-old painting of Texas bluebonnets that was almost thrown out with donations headed for Goodwill turned out to be a valuable piece of American art. A sentimental family heirloom turned out to be something of a surprise for its owners, who sold it at auction for $112,500, bringing new attention to the legacy of celebrated Texas painter Julian Onderdonk.
Painting saved by last-minute decision
CBS News and The Washington Post reported that the painting was a gift to Carlotta Preston from a distant relative to mark her birth in 1922. The work, finished a year earlier, was kept by the family for decades, with no one identifying its artistic or monetary value.The painting was almost lost when the family moved from California to Washington state. When relatives helped Preston clear out her belongings in preparation for retirement, several items were loaded onto a trailer to be donated to Goodwill. One of them was the bluebonnet artwork. But Preston changed his mind at the last minute and kept it for its looks.After her death, the painting was hanging in the home of her daughter near Tacoma, Washington. It wasn’t until the family started researching the origins of the painting that they discovered it was an original by Julian Onderdonk, often described as the defining Texas landscape painter.
Who was Julian Onderdonk?
Julian Onderdonk was born in San Antonio in 1882 and showed an interest in art from an early age. He had artistic talent as a child and started teaching art as a teenager, according to CBS News.Later he relocated to New York City to pursue his artistic studies and teaching opportunities. His connection to Texas, however, remained strong.In 1906, Onderdonk took a seasonal job organizing art exhibits at the Dallas State Fair. Three years later he returned to Texas with his family and his painting began to take on the natural landscape of the state.Bluebonnets became a signature of his work. In spring, Texas is covered with these striking wildflowers and many of his most celebrated impressionist landscapes drew their inspiration from them.
Family heirloom fetches six figures at auction
CBS News reports that the painting, A Field of Bluebonnets, San Antonio, was eventually consigned to Heritage Auctions in Dallas.On June 29, 2024, the artwork was sold for $112,500. The result placed the family heirloom among the more notable sales at an auction that featured other Onderdonk works. Another two of the artist’s paintings sold for $106,250 and $93,750 respectively.Texas Monthly also chronicled the family’s efforts to get the valuable artwork home safely to Dallas. Preston’s grandson, Jared Brinkley, flew in from Seattle with the century-old painting, which had been protected for the journey with foam, cardboard and packing materials.The find turned a simple decorative object into a work of art with historical importance, privately owned by the family for more than a century.
A painting done toward the close of his life
CBS News says that in 1921, a year before he died in 1922, Onderdonk painted A Field of Bluebonnets, San Antonio. He died at the height of his artistic success, his body of work inextricably linked to Texas identity and landscape.His paintings are still in major American art collections, such as the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth and the San Antonio Museum of Art.The Washington Post, in a feature article, noted the surprising financial return that the rediscovery of the artwork represented for the Brinkley family, and Texas Monthly documented the personal meaning of preserving and transporting such a rare family possession.The painting’s journey from possible Goodwill donation to six-figure auction sale is a perfect case study in how family heirlooms can carry unrecognized historical and artistic significance for generations. For the Preston-Brinkley family, one last-minute decision made sure a piece of Texas art history was not lost.Images Courtesy: Heritage Auctions and Texas State Historical Association