Helen Marie Turner, N.A. (American/ New Orleans, 1858-1958),"Mrs. Johnston A. Armstrong, n‚ Amelia Leake" watercolor miniature on ivory signed and dated "1909" lower right, 2.875in. x 2.25in., encased in a gold vermeil locket with original leather velvet lined case; accompanied by an 18th century Continental School miniature of "Francis C. Leake," watercolor on ivory, unsigned, 1.875in. x 1.5in., in a gold locket with a piece of woven hair encased in a glass top compartment en verso. E12000-18000 Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Johnston A. Armstrong, New Orleans. This miniature is to be included in Kaycee Benton's forthcoming catalogue raisonee on Helen Marie Turner. Exhibition History: Included in the Helen Marie Turner, N.A. Retrospective Exhibition, organized by the Cragsmoor Free Library, 1983-1984. The exhibition traveled to Akron Art Museum, Jersey City Museum and Owensboro Art Museum, Kentucky. A copy of the exhibition catalogue accompanies this lot. Note: The fashionable New Orleans and St. Francisville society matron Amelia Leake Armstrong was painted by her good friend Helen Marie Turner in this captivating miniature. In the portrait, Amelia Leake Armstrong was painted wearing around her neck the 18th century miniature of her ancestor Francis C. Leake. In keeping with Louisiana tradition and in particular the Leake-Barrow families, there is a deep respect and reverence for ancestors and their possessions handed down from generation to generation. On June 28, 1887, Amelia Leake wed Johnston A. Armstrong at Grace Episcopal Church in St. Francisville. A gala reception was held after the ceremony at Pecan Grove Plantation, the home of the bride's parents Judge and Mrs. William Walter Leake, nee Margaret Emmet Mumford. During the Civil War, William Leake, a native of West Feliciana Parish served as a Captain in the in the First Louisiana Cavalry of the Confederate Army and later with Company B. Cochrane's Battalion where he fought in the Battle of Shiloh. Johnston and Amelia Armstrong lived in uptown New Orleans, where they raised their son Charles. Active in many clubs and organizations, Amelia Armstrong was most proud of her work with the Protestant Home for Babies (today Raintree Services). The home was established in 1926 in the New Orleans's Garden District by a group of local women seeking to provide shelter for destitute infants. Mrs. Armstrong served as president and founding member. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Helen Marie Turner was raised in New Orleans and Alexandria. Initially she studied at the New Orleans Art Union, and later at the Art Students League, Cooper Union Design School for Women and privately with the celebrated artist William Merritt Chase. Turner received critical acclaim for her innovative style and beautifully rendered paintings. In 1906 Turner became an active participant and important figure in the Cragsmoor Art Colony, located in the Shawangunk Mountains in New York. For thirty years, Turner spent her summers in Cragsmoor and most of her winters in New Orleans where she maintained a home and studio. In New Orleans, she had strong family ties and many life long friends. While in the city, she painted portraits of family members including Mrs. William Stone Leake, Margaret Todd, and her sister Lettie Turner as well as friends and acquaintances such as Helen McLellan, Menette Denegre, Matilda Gray and New Orleans photographer "Pops" Whitesell. Turner died in New Orleans at the age of ninety-nine.