The first day of spring

This illustration was on a loose page inside an box of miscellaneous ephemera that Joan and I picked up at a York County auction on March 12.¹ (Click on the image to view a larger version.)

It seemed an appropriate image to post here on the first day of spring.

In tiny type under the illustration are the credits: "PAINTED BY A. BOUVIER"² and "ENGRAVED BY E. TEEL".

Under the word "SPRING", it reads "Engraved Expressly for the Ladies Repository".

That's a reference to The Ladies' Repository, a monthly magazine that was based in Cincinnati and produced by the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was published from 1841 to 1876.

And, if this eBay listing is accurate, the illustration is from an 1852 issue of the magazine.

Footnotes
1. It was another Stermer's auction. I wrote here about an earlier one I attended.
2. Possibly Augustus Jules Bouvier?