Grace Carpenter

Grace Carpenter is a fictional socialite and art student a supporting character in the 1930 Marx Brothers film Animal Crackers. She was played by actress Kathryn Reece.

Biography
Grace Carpenter was a friend of Mrs. Whitehead and an amateur artist. In 1930, Grace and Mrs. Whitehead attended a gala social event at Rittenhouse Manor, hosted by art matron Mrs. Rittenhouse. Both Grace and Mrs. Whitehead were jealous of Mrs. Rittenhouse's social standing, and sought to embarrass her by any means they could.

On display at the party was a painting by Beauregard called "After the Hunt", which was valued at $100,000. Grace and Mrs. Whitehead conspired on a plan to steal the painting and replacing it with an obvious fake - one that Grace herself had painted a year earlier. To this end, they attempted to bribe Miss Rittenhouse's butler, Hives, into helping them carry out the plot.

Quote
"I copied that painting in art school a year ago. I'll go home and get the copy, we'll substitute it for the original, and when she unveils it - what'll she have? An imitation! And I must admit, a very poor one"