A Maud Lewis painting, that was once accepted as payment for a grilled cheese sandwich at a cafe in London, Ontario has sold at auction for more than ten times what was expected.

50-years ago, Irene Dumas accepted the painting as payment for a grilled cheese sandwich from local artist John Kennear when he was promoting Lewis’ work.

The painting has sold at auction for $350,000.  It’s the first time a Maud Lewis painting has sold for more than $100,000.

It was expected to sell for $35,000.

The painting was completed three years, before Lewis, a folk artist from Nova Scotia, died in 1970 at the age of 67.