Helen La France (Kentucky, 1919-2020) oil on board portrait painting depicting Cornell Jones (1923-1998) from Mayfield, Kentucky. Depicted as a middle-aged male, his hair parted to one side, sporting a pencil mustache and attired in a pale yellow suit. Signed "Helen La France" lower right and dated "'89". Pen notes en verso identifying the sitter along with a quote from the artist "ALWAYS dressed nice". Housed in a molded Chinese-style wood frame with brass corner elements. Sight: 22 1/4" H x 18 3/4" W. Framed: 26 1/2" H x 22 1/2" W. Note: In 1973, Cornell Jones became the first African American elected to the Mayfield, Kentucky City Council, and the first African American councilman in Graves County. He was re-elected to a third term in 1977. Jones was also a former president of the Mayfield NAACP Branch and was a WWII Army veteran. Cornell Jones was born in Paris, TN, the son of Velma L. Jones Blythe and James Provine. For more see "Mayor, 45 councilmen are black city officials," in 1978 Kentucky Directory of Black Elected Officials, Fifth Report by the Commission on Human Rights, p. 2; and Papers of the NAACP, Selected Branch Files, 1956-1965: Series A: The South, Jones, Cornell 7:0035 (Courtesy: http://nkaa.uky.edu/). Biography: "Self-taught African American artist Helen LaFrance was born on a Kentucky farm and began painting in her 40s. She is known for her "memory paintings" - Drawn from her recollections of life growing up in the rural South. Several museums and private collectors, including Oprah Winfrey, own examples of her work." (Source: "Helen LaFrance Folk Art Memories" by Kathy Moses). Helen Lafrance died November 22, 2020 in a Mayfield, Kentucky nursing home at the age of 101.

Provenance: Private Kentucky collection. The consignor was a friend and patron of the artist.

Painting overall good condition. Very slight abrasions to lower left corner. Frame with minor abrasions. Pen notes en verso.