Hundred Year Old Cottage Art Piece ... What a Find!

It has been months since I've done any yard saling but hubs and I decided to hit a few yesterday...and I'm glad we did! I didn't buy much yesterday but around 10 am, we found a particular yard sale and as I was walking up the driveway, an old oil painting instantly caught my eye. What I noticed first was that it was a painting of a cottage:) It was just beautiful and full of details...and just the kind of cottage that I'd live in if I could. There are swans and a trellis and a garden pathway and if you look hard enough, you can see the sun peeking through the sky. The painting has a lot of reds and greens in it, too, and you all know how much I love red and green. The next thing I noticed was just how old the painting was. The paint is crackled and when I turned it around to see the back, I could tell that the canvas was very old, as well as the frame. I asked the lady hosting the yard sale if she knew how old the painting was and she went in the house to ask another family member. She returned and told me that it was over 100 years old. She said it had been painted by a family member. Why they were selling a piece of their family history, I don't know. I bought the painting for just $25!!!! When I got it home, I examined the signature more carefully and it says "McClark". It now sits propped up against a wall in my dining room. I'm not sure where I'll put it. It needs to be cleaned and I don't really know how to go about doing that. It does have a few scratches here and there, but overall, it looks great. Here are a few photos and close ups...

For a brighter smile and fresher breath, click to enlarge:)