Old Time Letter Rack

John F. Peto

1894 · Oil on canvas · Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$39Unframed print · made to order

📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.

Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Old Time Letter Rack

The Old Violin (Peto)

Reminiscences of 1865

3 × $39 at 12 × 18 in, unframed = $117 → $105.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: John F. Peto (1854–1907)
Year: 1894
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 76.5 × 63.5 cm
Collection: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Movement: Realism

Faded pink tapes tacked in a criss-cross pattern on a dark board hold envelopes, cards, a torn newspaper clipping, a twist of string and a small photograph of Abraham Lincoln. Peto painted letter racks like this throughout his career in Philadelphia and Island Heights, New Jersey, using worn, everyday paper to trick the eye and to hint at memory and loss. The date 94 is painted at the top as if scratched into the board. The painting is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A dark trompe l'oeil still life with flashes of red, blue and cream for a study, office or library in a dark wood frame. It suits deep green, charcoal or warm grey walls at 12×18 and pairs with Harnett's The Artist's Letter Rack.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Realism painting
Era: 19th century (1894)
Orientation: Portrait
Mood: calm
Rooms: study or library, home office, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 12×18. Prints at 12×18 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or dark wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is Old Time Letter Rack in the public domain?

Yes. John F. Peto (1854–1907) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Museum of Fine Arts.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or dark wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Old Time Letter Rack painted, and in what medium?

Old Time Letter Rack dates from 1894 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 76.5 × 63.5 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 12×18 is the size that reads as one statement piece. For Old Time Letter Rack we'd choose 12×18.

About this design

Old Time Letter Rack (John F. Peto) — Old Time Letter Rack · John F. Peto · 1894. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or dark wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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