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Fogg Art Museum Scrapbooks, January 1950-April 1951

ARCH.2003.31, Rendition: 804143

Qwen, qwen.qwen3-vl-235b-a22b

This image shows a newspaper clipping from the Herald (Boston, Mass.), dated February 22, 1950, with a note indicating it was received from “BOSTON NEWS CLIP” located at 120 Tremont Street, Boston 8, Mass.

The article is titled:
“HANOVER, N. H., PAINTING CALLED REAL MONA LISA”

It reports on a sensational claim from New York, dated February 21 (via AP), that a painting in a Hanover, New Hampshire, home has been authenticated as a genuine Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

Key points from the article:

  • The painting is owned by Dr. Ambrose W. Vernon and his family, who have possessed it since 1797.
  • It was reportedly given to William Henry Vernon (Dr. Vernon’s ancestor) by Marie Antoinette just before her execution in 1793.
  • Authentication was performed by Dr. Thomas Macoughtry Judson, an American who was a longtime curator of the Ciccognara Collection at the Vatican. He stated after “extensive study and tests” that the work is “in my opinion is by the hand of Leonardo da Vinci.”
  • Dr. Judson described the painting as a portrait of Mona Lisa, specifically the third wife of Francesco di Bartolommeo di Zanobi del Giocondo of Florence — the same subject as the Louvre painting — and noted that this version was painted earlier than the Louvre Mona Lisa.
  • The painting was sent to the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University in 1933 for cleaning and x-ray analysis. Technicians reportedly confirmed that the canvas was ancient and dated to the period when Leonardo painted the La Gioconda (Mona Lisa).
  • The painting is now jointly owned by Dr. Vernon (a great-grandnephew of William Henry Vernon) and his brother's widow, Mrs. Alice C. E. Vernon, of New Jersey and Connecticut.

Markings on the clipping:

  • A red line underlines the final sentence of the article.
  • A red stamp or marking “128 F” is visible near the top of the clipping.

The clipping appears aged, with yellowed paper and slight creases, suggesting it was manually archived or stored for decades.

In summary, this is a 1950 newspaper report documenting a claim that a privately owned painting in New Hampshire is an authentic, earlier version of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, authenticated by a Vatican art expert and supported by technical analysis at Harvard. The story combines art history, aristocratic provenance, and scientific verification — typical of mid-century art mystery coverage.

Qwen, Qwen/Qwen2.5-VL-7B-Instruct

The image is a photograph of a newspaper clipping from 1950. The headline reads, "HANOVER, N. H., PAINTING CALLED REAL MONA LISA." The article discusses the authentication of a painting in Hanover, New Hampshire, as a Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. It mentions that an art expert from the Vatican authenticated the painting, and it was previously owned by the Vernon family since 1797. The article provides details about the painting's history and its current status as a joint property of the Vernon family. The clipping also includes a note in red marker that reads, "128 F," and a smaller note at the top of the clipping that says, "in 'no contract-no work' strike involving United Mine Workers." The clipping is dated February 22, 1950, and is from the Boston Herald.

Qwen, Qwen/Qwen2.5-VL-72B-Instruct

This image shows a news clipping from the Boston Herald dated February 22, 1950. The headline reads: "HANOVER, N. H., PAINTING CALLED REAL MONA LISA." The article discusses the authentication of a painting in a Hanover, N.H., home as a Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. It mentions that a Vatican art expert, Dr. Thomas Macoughtry Judson, who was the curator of the Cicognara collection of the Vatican, authenticated the painting. The painting has been in the Vernon family since 1797, when it was brought from France by William Henry Vernon. The article also notes that the painting was sent to the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University in 1933 for cleaning and x-rays, which confirmed it to be from the period when Leonardo da Vinci was known to have painted the Mona Lisa. The clipping includes some handwritten notes and markings.

Amazon, amazon.nova-pro-v1:0

The image shows a piece of paper that appears to be a clipping from a newspaper. The paper is folded in half, with the top part containing text and the bottom part containing a picture of a painting. The top part of the paper has the words "Boston News Clip" and "Herald Boston, Mass." written on it, along with the date "FEB 22 1950". The bottom part of the paper has a picture of a painting with the words "HANOVER, N. H., PAINTING CALLED REAL MONA LISA" written above it.

Amazon, amazon.nova-lite-v1:0

The image shows a clipping from the Boston Herald newspaper, dated February 22, 1950. The clipping reports on a painting called the "Real Mona Lisa" found in Hanover, New Hampshire. It mentions that a Vatican art expert authenticated the painting as a genuine work by Leonardo da Vinci. The painting is described as a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the third wife of Francesco di Bartolomeo di Zanobi del Giocondo of Florence. The article also notes that the painting has been in the Vernon family since 1797 and was brought to the United States from France by William Henry Vernon.

Amazon, us.amazon.nova-2-lite-v1:0

The image shows a newspaper clipping from the Boston News Clip dated February 22, 1950, originating from the Boston Herald. The headline prominently reads: "HANOVER, N. H., PAINTING CALLED REAL MONA LISA."

Key Details from the Clipping:

  1. Headline and Context:

    • The article reports that a painting in Hanover, New Hampshire, has been identified as a genuine work of art, potentially the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
    • The painting is housed in the home of Dr. Ambrose W. Vernon in Hanover.
  2. Authentication:

    • A Vatican art expert has authenticated the painting as a Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
    • The authentication was conducted by Dr. Thomas Macougaly Judson, an American who served as a curator of the Cicognara Collection at the Vatican.
  3. Family History:

    • The painting has been in the possession of the Vernon family since 1797, when it was brought to Hanover from France by William Henry Vernon.
    • It is believed to have been a gift or for safekeeping from Marie Antoinette shortly before her execution in 1793.
  4. Current Ownership:

    • The painting is now jointly owned by Dr. Vernon, who is described as a great-grandnephew of William Henry Vernon.
  5. Additional Details:

    • The Vernon family claims that the painting is a portrait of Mona Lisa, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo of Florence, and that it predates the more famous Mona Lisa in the Louvre.
    • The painting was sent to the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University in 1933 for cleaning and technical analysis.
    • Technicians at the Fogg used X-rays to confirm that the canvas is from the same period when Leonardo da Vinci was known to have painted the Gioconda (Mona Lisa).

Visual Layout:

  • The clipping is a scanned or photographed image of a physical newspaper page, showing a portion of the article.
  • The text is clearly legible, with the headline and subheadings in bold, emphasizing the sensational claim about the painting.
  • The article is dated February 21, 1950, as indicated in the body of the text, while the clipping itself is labeled as being from February 22, 1950.

Overall Impression:

The clipping captures a historical moment of art authentication, highlighting a controversial claim that a painting in a private home in Hanover, New Hampshire, is the original Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. The article provides details about the painting's provenance, authentication process, and its connection to historical figures such as Marie Antoinette and Leonardo da Vinci.

OpenAI, gpt-4o-2024-11-20

This is an image of a clipped newspaper article titled: "Hanover, N. H., Painting Called Real Mona Lisa," dated February 22, 1950. The article discusses findings by a Vatican art expert authenticating a painting in a Hanover, New Hampshire home as a Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. The painting reportedly belonged to the Vernon family since 1797, originally brought from France by William Henry Vernon and believed to have been a gift from Marie Antoinette.

The family claims the painting is earlier than the Mona Lisa in the Louvre and was verified to be legitimate by x-rays and extensive testing. The article also mentions its evaluation via methodical techniques at Harvard University's Fogg Art Museum. The clipping originates from the Boston Herald.

OpenAI, gpt-4.1-mini-2025-04-14

The image is a scanned newspaper clipping from the Boston News Clip, dated February 22, 1950. The article is titled "HANOVER, N.H., PAINTING CALLED REAL MONA LISA." It reports that a Vatican art expert confirmed the authentication of a painting in Hanover, New Hampshire, as a real Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

Key points in the article include:

  • The authentication was made by Dr. Thomas Macoughty Judson, an American curator of the Vatican's Cignacra collection.
  • The painting has been in the Vernon family since 1797, when it was brought from France by William Henry Vernon.
  • It was said to be a gift or for safekeeping from Marie Antoinette shortly before her execution in 1793.
  • The painting is joint property of Dr. Ambrose W. Vernon and his brother's widow, Mrs. Alice C. E. Vernon.
  • Dr. Judson is quoted as saying that after extensive study and tests, the painting is by Leonardo da Vinci.
  • The painting is described as a portrait of Mona Lisa, the third wife of Francesco di Bartolommeo di Zanobi del Giocondo of Florence.
  • The painting was sent to the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University in 1933 for cleaning.
  • During the cleaning, technicians took x-rays that proved the ancient canvas was of the period when Leonardo da Vinci was known to have painted a La Gioconda (Mona Lisa).

OpenAI, gpt-4

This image features a newspaper clipping from the "Boston News Clip," which is supplied by an organization located at 120 Tremont Street, Boston 8, Massachusetts. It is dated February 22, 1950, from the "Herald" of Boston, Massachusetts.

The headline of the article is: "HANOVER, N.H., PAINTING CALLED REAL 'MONA LISA'." The article from New York, dated February 21, discusses a claim by a Vatican art expert that a painting in Hanover, New Hampshire, is an authentic work by Leonardo da Vinci, reputed to be a Mona Lisa. This view is attributed to Dr. Ambrose W. Vernon of Hanover and Dr. Thomas Macaughtry Judson, described as an American who had been a curator of the Cicogna collection at the Vatican.

The article goes on to state that the painting has been in the Vernon family since 1797, purportedly brought from France by a William Henry Vernon, who is claimed to have received the painting as a gift or for safekeeping from Marie Antoinette shortly before she was beheaded in 1793.

It further notes that the painting, now owned by Dr. Vernon, a great-grandnephew of William Henry Vernon, was previously thought to have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci during the period when he painted the famous Mona Lisa.

Some sections of the clipping are marked with handwritten numbers or lines, possibly by someone who was highlighting or referencing specific parts of the text for research or interest.

OpenAI, gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07

This is a small collage of two vintage newspaper clippings mounted on a light gray background.

  • The top piece is a small “BOSTON NEWS CLIP” card. It shows the header for a Boston Herald item, with the address “120 Tremont Street, Boston 8, Mass.” and a stamped date of “FEB 22 1950.”

  • The bottom piece is a larger clipping with a bold headline: “HANOVER, N. H., PAINTING CALLED REAL MONA LISA.” It’s a New York dateline (AP) story about a Vatican art expert’s authentication of a painting in Hanover, NH as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. The article discusses the provenance, mentions Dr. Ambrose W. Vernon of Hanover, and notes tests and opinions from institutions like the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard. The page shows some red underlining or markings and is aged paper with a torn corner at the top left.