Hi there! I have a heavy silk (I think it may be watercolor on silk) with a black velvet border panel. It measures about 9 ft by 4 ft. It is marked on the back "Silster Art Co., New York, NY, 1839". Under the lady, etched into the velvet is 1840.
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/7/1/5/0/1/5/webimg/638906484_o.jpg
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/7/1/5/0/1/5/webimg/638906549_o.jpg
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/7/1/5/0/1/5/webimg/638906605_o.jpg
It hung on some kind of a pole, with black velvet tab top.


It has a perfect mate for sale on eBay.

Problem is, I can not find anything, not even a whisper, about this art company ANYWHERE. It's like it didn't exist. Silster is a city in Norway. That's all I got. I speculate it was hung outside a theater or a dance hall.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!