Sunflower Dummy Board or Firescreen

Artisan: Karen Steely
Date: 1995
Inscriptions: signed and dated ‘Karen Steely 1995’ (very faintly in pencil on the back)
Dimensions: 65 x 77 x 19 mm; 2 ⅝ x 3 x ¾ inches (height x width x depth)
Inventory number: 2021.060
Intended Room: Housekeeper’s Bedroom
Category: Furniture

Provenance: Bought from Tiny Doll House NYC in 2021

Designed to stand in front of empty fireplaces in the summer, dummy boards showed dogs, cats, baskets of flowers or even servant figures. This example, featuring a basket of sunflowers, is by Karen Steely. It is signed and dated ‘1995’ [?] very, very faintly in pencil on the back. I have tried to photograph the signature below, but unfortunately it really hasn’t come out.