This is a gentle and delicate representation the Our Lady. She is attending to a dove, and as is the custom in Victorian holy cards, the dove represents the you and I. The holy card meant to remind us of the delicate and intimate relationship we have with her. We think perhaps the trompe-l'oeil lilies and the wing of the dove outside the circle indicate that we have gone to her realm in prayer, as we do. We love this image. The inscription means, "Faithful virgin, Pray for Us. Bring to your loved ones the benefits of your goodness."

Boumard Fils, also known as Boumard et Fils, was a family-run publisher of religious art, active at the beginning of the twentieth century. Boumard Fils was located in the Saint-Sulpice neighborhood of Paris, the center of the religious printing industry in France. The artwork on their earlier cards, such as this one, is exemplary of the Saint-Sulpician style, which tends towards the sentimental. We think the sentiment in this picture is just right, delicate and gracious, and it gladdens our hearts. It is a lovely reminder of the relationship we can have with the Blessed Mother.

(sources: Ohiolink.edu and The Mysterious Sofia by Stephen Andes)

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", or 1.6" for 11x14" pictures. All Approx! Fine art printers do this because the images are almost never the same rectangular ratio of the standard paper sizes. It also gives the prints a finished look, and lets them look good in a frame without a matt.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - CatholicArtAndJewelry.