This is a most riveting subject, and a most interesting thread. I think there is a little bit of truth in many of the posts so far and I've changed my mind on this one at least five times. The actual print inside the frame gave me the impression of a photograph because of the fine white line like old photos get when they are damaged. That being said, one can take a photo of a drawing and parts of this picture are without a doubt hand rendered including the background and that could very well be a studio backdrop. My impression at this point is that this is likely a studio portrait and that it is in essence a composite with the facial features being the true rendering off a negative and the rest a lot of touch up and very poorly executed outright embellishment. If you'd like to see an example of a turn of the century hand painted studio backdrop, I can show you a large portrait of my great-grandfather and his brother sitting in a real chair, but with a very fake staircase behind them. LOL It was not an unusual practise, clear on up to the forties and fifties for some photographers to take portraits in black and white and hand tint and retouch them in the dark room. It wasn't because of the cameras not being able to, but the studios having the equipment to develop them. So seeing 'sketch marks' doesn't prove anything but the skill of the craftsman who took and developed the portrait because you're just as likely to see the editing on a real photograph as not. I have a portrait of my g'grandmother I'm inserting here because judging by her age it would have been taken about 1918-20. It has been hand tinted, and if you look at her blouse, it has obviously been hand retouched for detail and the bottom darkened out to extend the photo as much as possible to the paper to fill it. I think this is what happened to the boy's dress......it was probably enhanced by hand and the chair by imagination and lack of artistic ability. Even poor people scrounged up the money for portraits in the old days, God knows my ancestors weren't rich people and we have them to pass along. But they certainly were special enough not to be done on a whim. One portrait my g'parents had taken in the twenties was of my little aunt who was expected to die at birth, but lived until two years. So, they coughed up the money, even with ten kids, to have a portrait taken of her. I'm no expert and I'm not pretending to be but before I'd blow this one off as a fake, I'd have it checked out. Regardless of how it pans out, and even if it turns out to be a Cracker Barrel nostalgia shot..........it's a Jim Dandy and worth hanging on a wall just to see the mug on that kid.

"My general contractor offered me to hang a drywall on top of plaster but I dont see a value of this." Oh for the love of God - I wish if people didn't know how to do something or it was outside their range of expertise they would just say so and not propose these ridiculous things that do more harm than good. So he adds more thickness with a layer of drywall - what does he do with the trim then? Rip it out and install skinny cheap modern trim from Home Depot (some do exactly that - ugghhhh) Sorry OP I just had to vent there!! Ive been looking at old houses to buy and theres no end of goofy, futzy things that people have done to them. Im glad you saw the folly of that esp in such an old house. Like fine antiques, as time goes on people more appreciate the old things - esp if well maintained in original condition. You may want to go over to thehistoricdistrict.org, which has many old house lovers on the forum including professionals who can advise in great detail about how to do plaster repair. Especially with your age of house - you might want to confirm what type of plaster you have . There was an earlier type of lime plaster with different composition with materials you might have to hunt for (but certainly are obtainable at reasonable cost) The later type of gypsum based plaster used in early-mid 1900s - materials not available at big box - I think Ace had a type of patching plaster that can work but the plaster of paris that they (and home depot) sells is not good - sets up way too fast and hard. Otherwise any small-mid size city should have a building supply store where they carry the more specialized types of materials - while traditionally plater walls had a three coat system, for repairing cracks Ive just used plain patching or veneer plaster - if a bigger hole you can get a rough coat plaster for first layer and veneer plaster for the top layer. Use a bonding agent on the edges of the old plaster and the lath to help the new plaster adhere well to the old. There's various other techniques for bigger areas and different types of situations - and other people will have their favorite methods and materials (some use drywall compound but IMHO if you have extensive repairs its best (and considerably cheaper) to get the real stuff. Re very fine surface hairline cracks - ignoring those works the best! In a nutshell - plaster repair is exactly the kind of labor intensive but very doable thing that a typical home owner can learn to do, and do well.

Steaming is still the fastest way to get wallpaper that is not strippable off the wall. Even the strippable stuff sometimes leaves enough behind to make a quick steam pass worthwhile (usually idicates the walls were not painted or sized before papering). The worst is when someone puts contact paper on walls. A skim job (at least) is going to be required to repair the face of the drywall when it peels off with the contact paper. Using white glue (like Elmer's) to fasten down edges also damages the drywall face.

LOL the only thing I dream of any more is this danged remodel job! Beleni (which I'm sure to be spelling wrong) is a drink that is everywhere in Italy, but particularly a specialty in Venice, of champagne and fresh peach necture. Drink one or five :) while you're there for me. DO NOT drink them in St Marks square! My friend and I had 3, which came with free chips, and would have sat in the sun and drank them all day until I realized that the three drinks I'd had cost as much as our hotel room for a night! (over $150 US) Yes for three drinks and some chips :oP Go one block off the square and order one, which will cost about $5 bucks verses $50 (and that is not an exageration) I love my chicken, but I do have a rather large collection of venetian glassware from the late 1800's that is the focus of my dining room. Some day I'll go ahead and pick up a venetian chandelier, preferably in person in Venice :) As soon as the little guy can travel out of the country we're ready for a trip (his doctors want him to be stronger before we leave the US). There's a lovely harbor across the way in Venice we plan on mooring in :) Mind you, I don't know where I will put the chandelier in the boat, but heck, a girl could have worse problems to reason through couldn't she? You are going to have such a good time! Do look at the glassware. A couple souvenier glasses can be shipped home pronto :) and every time you have wine in them you'll remember Venice fondly! Don't buy a size 36 shirt in Milan...it's actually about a size 0 and your boo...ummmmm tata's will hang out in a very dramatic fashion (just a little tip from one who's been there heh heh)