Illustration Art
Officers
Christine von der Linn
Director
cv@swanngalleries.com
(212) 254-4710 ext. 20
Leah Fletcher
Administrator
lfletcher@swanngalleries.com
(212) 254-4710 ext. 21
George S. Lowry
Chairman
Nicholas D. Lowry
President, Principal Auctioneer
924899
Andrew M. Ansorge
Vice President & Controller
Alexandra Mann-Nelson
Chief Marketing Officer
2030704
Todd Weyman
Vice President & Director, Prints & Drawings
1214107
Nigel Freeman
Vice President & Director, African American Art
Rick Stattler
Vice President & Director, Books & Manuscripts
Administration
Andrew M. Ansorge
Vice President & Controller
aansorge@swanngalleries.com
Ariel Kim
Client Accounting
akim@swanngalleries.com
Diana Gibaldi
Operations Manager
diana@swanngalleries.com
Kelsie Jankowski
Communications Manager
kjankowski@swanngalleries.com
Children's Book & Magazine Illustration
Martha wheeler baxter (1869-1955)
Little Girls on a Snowy Day.
Illustration for an unknown publication. Gouache on board. 215x145 mm; 8½x5¾ inches, framed to 13½x10½ inches. Signed "M.W. Baxter" lower left image.
Martha Wheeler Wallace Baxter, an outstanding painter of miniatures, was born in Vermont in 1869. She studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, the Art Students League in New York City, and in Paris. She developed a love for the American West and permanently relocated to Southern California where she belonged to a host of professional associations including the California Art Club, Women Painters of the West, Society of Western Artists, Artists of the Southwest, and the National Society of Arts and Letters.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Charlotte becker (1901-1984)
Two charming children’s story illustrations.
Together, two images of frolicking children and anthropomorphic animals for an unidentified story. Watercolor and gouache on paper mounted to board. Smaller image of children riding in a seashell measures 315x305 mm; 12½x12 inches; larger image depicts children dancing in a ring, encircled by Mother Goose characters The Three Pigs, The Gingerbread Man, and The Little Red Hen, with castle in the distance, measures 374x375 mm; 14¾x14½ inches. Each signed “Charlotte Becker” in lower right image. Framed.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Eleanor vere boyle [e.v.b.] (1825-1916)
“But he was only sunk in a dream of delight.”
Original illustration for The Story without an End, from the German of Carobe by Sarah Austin. (London: Sampson Low, Marston, Low, and Searle, 1868). Watercolor on paper. 145x116 mm; 5¾x4½ inches, mounted to 7x6-inch stiff card. Tipped to window matte; framed.
Provenance: The artist's family; Maas Gallery, 1980s; present owner.
This is the beautiful original watercolor illustration given to Leighton Brothers engravers to translate into the color lithographs used in the first edition of the book.
As a descendant of the Duke of Ancaster, Eleanor Vere Boyle was a member of the British peerage and an amateur painter and children's book illustrator. As her family looked askance at any one of her class or sex participating in the arts, she signed her work "EVB" and so worked within relative obscurity. Her husband was the son of the Earl of Cork. She specialized in elaborate Pre-Raphaelitesque watercolors for fairy tales. One of her most accomplished works was Friedrich Wilhelm Carové's The Story Without an End (1868), translated from the German by Sarah Austin.
Estimate
$15,000 – $25,000
Lewis jesse bridgman (1857-1931)
“Through the Looking-glass!” * “Beginning to Melt Away.”
Together, two illustrations from the 1893 edition of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass. (New York: Crowell, 1893). Pen and ink on Bristol board. 210x165 mm; 8¼x6½ inches, image, on 14x8-inch sheets. Lewis Jesse Bridgman copied Sir John Tenniel's famous wood engravings for this 1893 piracy of the Lewis Carroll classic. He did not slavishly copy Tenniel's drawings but added some flourishes of his own which differentiate his work from the originals. He later became a prolific illustrator under his own name. We are grateful to Arnold Hirshon and Alan Tannenbaum for authenticating these works.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Lewis jesse bridgman (1857-1931)
Alice and the White Queen * Alice and the Red Queen * Red King and Queen.
Together, three illustrations from the 1893 edition of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass. (New York: Crowell, 1893). Pen and ink on Bristol board. Alice and White Queen measures 171x152 mm; 6¾x5 inches; Alice and Red Queen measures 171x133 mm; 6¾x5¼ inches; Red King and Queen measures 133x177 mm; 5½x7 inches. All on slightly larger sheets. Unsigned.
Lewis Jesse Bridgman copied Sir John Tenniel's famous wood engravings for this 1893 piracy of the Lewis Carroll classic. He did not slavishly copy Tenniel's drawings but added some flourishes of his own which differentiate his work from the originals. He later became a prolific illustrator under his own name. We are grateful to Arnold Hirshon and Alan Tannenbaum for authenticating these works.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
(alice in wonderland) after rodney matthews (1945-)
Decorative screen reproducing the scene “A Caucus Race” from Alice in Wonderland.
Artist unknown. Oil on panel screen, 64x67 inches overall, made up of 4 joined sections, each measuring 400x1702 mm; 15¾x67 inches. Plain painted back.
Matthews’ 2008 Alice in Wonderland inspired this highly decorative and frabjous piece of Carrolliana.
Estimate
$500 – $750
The Emily & Sam Bush Collection
Emily and Sam Bush opened Bush Galleries in Norwich, Vermont in 1984 as one of the earliest retail shops specializing in original children’s book art. They eventually expanded to Boston and Carmel, California. Though they also handled international artists, they remained loyal to promoting the work of New England illustrators.
This selection includes works by Caldecott winners Trina Schart Hyman and Alice and Martin Provensen; Cricket Magazine covers by Hilary Knight; Tasha Tudor’s iconic portrait of Mary Lennox for Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic The Secret Garden.
All lots from the Bush Collection are designated Bush Galleries in the provenance.
Marcia brown (1918-2015)
“In due time the marriage ceremonies were performed with exceeding pomp and grandeur.”
Illustration for the double-page spread published in The Flying Carpet Retold from Richard Burton's translation of The Arabian Nights, by Marcia Brown (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1956). Flow-master and watercolor on paper. 254x390 mm; 10x15½ inches, on 11¾x17-inch sheet. Signed "Marcia Brown" in lower right image and again in lower right margin, with her ink stamp lower left. Tipped to window matte and framed to 17½x22½.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Marcia brown (1918-2015)
Felice the cat.
Illustration published on the dedication page of Brown’s book Felice (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1958). Watercolor on paper. 6x4 inches, image, on 12½x8¾-inch sheet. Signed “Marcia Brown” in ink, lower right image, captioned along bottom, and with a crossed-out preparatory sketch on verso. Tipped to matte and framed to 17x15 inches.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Unlike most of her previous works, this is an original story rather than a retelling of a folktale. Felice is a tender children’s story about a homeless cat in Venice who is befriended by a canal boatman’s son.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$400 – $600
(cabbage patch kids) ted giavis (1920-2008)
Cabbage Patch Kids “Dress-Ups” package design.
Original product illustration painting, circa 1983. Acrylic on illustration board. 508x380 mm; 20x15 inches, board. Signed “T. Giavis” in lower left image and in full, in ink, on verso.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Robert childress (1915-1983)
Archive of preparatory material for “Fun with Our Family.”
The second book in the “New Basic Readers Program of the Sixties” series created by by Scott, Foresman and Company, 1962.
The archive comprises three main elements: Pencil roughs of the full book consisting of a cover illustration and 60 pages (in folded quadrants) of handwritten text and sketches (all in the artist’s hand) * Fifteen envelopes, one for each story in the book, containing preparatory modeling photos of the artist’s family, typed revision notes from the publisher, sketches and re-worked pages * Two mimeographed proof sketchbooks contaning Childress’ copious edits, a few text revisions, and some reworked illustrations laid into the pages. See condition report for breakdown of contents.
Provenance: The artist, by descent to daughter Nancy, who was the model for the character Sally.
Perhaps the most famous series of readers for young children, the “Dick and Jane readers,” was the brainchild of Scott, Foresman editors/writers William S. Gray and Zerna Sharp. Developed in the 1930s, their popular primers, which used the “look-see” (i.e. sight-reading) method, peaked in the 1950s and taught generations of American school children the fundamentals of reading, writing, and verbal skills. When the company sought to update the series in the late 1950s and early `60s, they worked with professionals in the fields of child psychology and early childhood education to create the texts that used modern pedagogical methods and artwork that would reflect contemporary props and story plots to engage beginning readers. With an emphasis on visual stimulation and the idea that children learn to read pictures before text, SFC hired Childress to create the accompanying illustrations that children could relate to and ideally spark their joy for reading. His wholesome, joyful imagery for such advertising campaigns as Wonder Bread, Campbell’s Soup, and Coca-Cola, among other traditional brands, made him the ideal illustrator for the series .
Childress was so enthused by the project and produced several stories between 1958 and 1968. He employed his entire family in the venture, having them pose for the illustrations which SFC encouraged, printing all the photos he needed for his work. These photographs, which display his commitment to honest and realistic poses and expressions, were preserved by Childress and his family and are included in this archive, organized by the titles of the stories for which they were created. The accompanying full pencil roughs lay out the chapters and contain meticulous handwritten text beneath his perfectly composed sketches.
Childress’ contributions were so integral that the publishers would entrust him with textual edits that he suggested, some examples of which are marked in the proof sketchbooks.
This archive provides a wonderful and detailed look into the creative process of the illustrator who helped shape mid-century American education.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Fanny young cory [cooney] (1877-1972)
“The Beanstalk.”
Illustration for an unidentified work, likley St. Nicholas magazine, circa 1902. Ink, graphite, and watercolor on Bristol board. 360x283 mm; 14¼x11¼ inches, sheet. Signed “F.Y.Cory” along right side of image, an indecipherable caption in lower margin, and “the beanstalk” faded but legibly penciled on verso. Tipped to window matte and framed to 23½x20 inches.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Palmer cox (1840-1924)
”. . . and soon the bicycles they sought / From every room and bench were brought”
Illustration for the story "The Brownies on Bicycles" as published in The Brownies: Their Book (New York: The Century, 1887), page 22. Pen and ink on stiff paper mounted to card. 220x197 mm; 8½x7¾ inches, image, on 11½x9½-inch mount. Signed "Palmer Cox" in lower right, captioned "In the work shop" with notes to printer on mounting card recto, verso with The Century Co. stamp.
A charming illustration from the first volume of Cox's popular "Brownies" series. The full caption printed in the book reads: "Not long could door or windows stand / Fast locked before the Brownie band; and soon the bicycles they sought / From every room and bench were brought."
Palmer Cox's Brownies were the Smurfs of their day. Not only were they the source for a long line of best-selling children's books but their Canadian-born creator widely licensed them for all kinds of merchandise. Even Kodak's Brownie Camera was named for them. The stories and pictures were serialized in St. Nicholas and Ladies' Home Journal and adapted as Sunday comic strip. At least two plays were based on the popular characters. Arguably Cox drew his best pictures for this work, the original The Brownies, Their Book. Cox had not yet developed the vast cast of ethnic Brownies, but the Irishman and The Dude can be spotted among the predominately Scottish band of fairies in these early drawings.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Palmer cox (1840-1924)
“But we, who laugh at locks or law / Designed to keep mankind in awe . . .”
Illustration for the story “The Brownies at Lawn-Tennis” as published in The Brownies: Their Book (New York: The Century, 1887), page 26. Pen and ink on stiff paper mounted to card. 233x190 mm; 9¼x7½ inches, image, on 13x10-inch mount. Signed “Palmer Cox” in lower left, captioned with the story title and “In the park” with notes to printer on mounting card recto, verso with The Century Co. stamp.
A charming illustration from the first volume of Cox’s popular “Brownies” series, showing the Brownies determined to raid the pagoda shed which houses the desired tennis equipment. The full caption printed in the book reads: “But we, who laugh at locks or law / Designed to keep mankind in awe, May praise the keeper’s cautious mind, But all the same an entrance find.”
Palmer Cox’s Brownies were the Smurfs of their day. Not only were they the source for a long line of best-selling children’s books but their Canadian-born creator widely licensed them for all kinds of merchandise. Even Kodak’s Brownie Camera was named for them. The stories and pictures were serialized in St. Nicholas and Ladies’ Home Journal and adapted as Sunday comic strip. At least two plays were based on the popular characters. Arguably Cox drew his best pictures for this work, the original The Brownies, Their Book. Cox had not yet developed the vast cast of ethnic Brownies, but the Irishman and The Dude can be spotted among the predominately Scottish band of fairies in these early drawings.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Palmer cox (1840-1924)
“They sung both high and low, the same / As fancy led or courage came . . .”
Illustration for the story “The Brownies’ Singing School” as published in The Brownies: Their Book (New York: The Century, 1887), page 124. Pen and ink on stiff paper mounted to card. 210x190 mm; 8¼x7½ inches, image, on 12¼x9-inch mount. Signed “Palmer Cox” in lower left, captioned with the story title and “Pitching their voices” with notes to printer on mounting card recto, verso with The Century Co. stamp.
A charming illustration from the first volume of Cox’s popular “Brownies” series. The full caption printed in the book continues: “Some droned the tune through teeth of nose, Some piped like quail, or cawed like crows / That, hungry, wait the noonday horn / To call the farmer from his corn.”
Palmer Cox’s Brownies were the Smurfs of their day. Not only were they the source for a long line of best-selling children’s books but their Canadian-born creator widely licensed them for all kinds of merchandise. Even Kodak’s Brownie Camera was named for them. The stories and pictures were serialized in St. Nicholas and Ladies’ Home Journal and adapted as Sunday comic strip. At least two plays were based on the popular characters. Arguably Cox drew his best pictures for this work, the original The Brownies, Their Book. Cox had not yet developed the vast cast of ethnic Brownies, but the Irishman and The Dude can be spotted among the predominately Scottish band of fairies in these early drawings.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Rie cramer (1887-1977)
“The Little Mermaid.”
Illustration published for the story as retold by Hans Andersen in The Silver Thimble Story Book (London: Blackie and Son, Ltd., 1960). Tempera and ink on paper. 234x190 mm; 9¼x7½ inches, on slightly larger sheet. Signed “Rie Cramer” in lower left corner. Cornered to window matte.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Rie cramer (1887-1977)
“We will put her on a water-lily leaf in the middle of the river, said the toad; it will seem like an island to her . . .’”
Illustration published for the story “Thumbelina” as retold by Hans Andersen in The Silver Thimble Story Book (London: Blackie and Son, Ltd., 1960). Tempera and ink on paper. 242x190 mm; 9½x7½ inches. Signed “Rie Cramer” in lower right corner. Tipped to window matte.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Richard doyle (1824-1883)
“The King of the Fairies receives a deputation from the Elves.”
Concept study, likely for the illustration “Triumphal March of the Elf-King” published in In Fairyland, (London: Green and Co., 1870). Pen and ink on paper, circa 1869. 170x248 mm; 6¾x9¾ inches. Signed with monogram “RD.” lower right image and captioned in Doyle’s hand along bottom. Float-mounted to window matte and framed to 12x15 inches.
Provenance: David Temperley, Birmingham UK; purchased by current owner 1984.
Original studies and ink drawings for In Fairyland are exceedingly scarce as the final designs were drawn directly on stone for lithography. The colored proofs that are known to have survived are in a private collection in Switzerland.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Jane dyer (1949-)
“The Royal Wedding.”
Together, two illustrations from Piggins and the Royal Wedding by Jane Yolen (New York: Voyager Books, 1994). Watercolor and ink on paper. Horizontal image measures 180x405 mm; 7x16 inches, image and is signed and captioned by Dyer. Rectangular image measures 225x190 mm ; 9x7½ inches. Both on larger sheets. Unsigned. Tipped to mattes.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Helen and alf evers (1905-2004)
“Little Goosie-Gosling.”
Nearly complete group of color proofs for the book written and illustrated by the Helen and Alf Evers, published by F. J. Ward, 1937. Ink, crayon, and yellow gouache color separation overlays on tracing paper. 280x358 mm; 11x14 inches, sheets. The archive, consisting of hand-drawn text and images, includes: cover, copyright, and dedication pages, Mother goose quote page, 25 (of 25) full text pages with borders (that did not contain illustrations), 19 (of 25) boards with color separations containing text and illustrations, list of authors' works, and one unused image. A copy of the published book, inscribed and signed by the Evers' accompanies the artwork.
Alf Evers (1905-2004) met Helen Baker at the Art Students League in New York City, and they collaborated on several popular picture books. The two divorced in 1950 and he became an esteemed local historian of the Catskills, of Woodstock in particular. Based on an old nursery rhyme, Little Goosie-Gosling (1934) with its strong outline drawing and hand-lettered text owes much to Wanda Gág's classic Millions of Cats (1928).
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Toby gowing (20th century)
Addie in the snow.
Cover illustration for Addie’s Dakota Winter by Laurie Lawlor (Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company, 1989). Gouache on paper. 515x390 mm; 20½x15¼ inches, image, on slightly larger sheet. Signed “Gowing” in lower left image.
Provenance: Bush Galleries. A lovely cover illustration by New Jersey artist Gowing.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Johnny gruelle (1880-1938)
“The nine little goblin wives had red eyes because they spent all their time weeping.”
Illustration for Chapter VI “The Nine Little Goblins with Green Eyes,” published on page 43 of Gruelle’s Orphant Annie Story Book (Indianapolis: Bobbs Merrill, Co., 1921). Watercolor, pen, and ink on board. 152x260 mm; 6x10¼ inches. Float-mounted in window matte and archivally framed to 12x16¼ inches.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Nonny hogrogian (1932-)
“The parents were very happy and the wedding was an elegant affair-there was cabbage stew and turnip pie and lettuce under glass.”
Illustration published in Hogrogian’s book Carrot Cake (New York: Greenwillow Books, 1977). Watercolor and ink on Strathmore board. 160x144 mm; 6¼x5¾ inches, on 9½x9-inch paper. Signed “Nonny Hogrogian” in pencil, lower right. Tipped to matte and framed to 15x14 inches.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Troy howell (1953-)
“Meanwhile the children were coming along . . .”
Illustration for page 25 of Johanna Spyri’s classic tale Heidi, (New York: Julian Messner, 1982). Mixed media with gouache and glaze on paper glued to board. 293x222 mm; 11½x8¾ inches, on 15x11-inch sheet. Signed “T. Howell” lower right image, captioned “Chap I Heidi” lower left margin, additionally signed and dated 1982 on mount verso. Matted and framed.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Troy howell (1953-)
”. . . here he first doubled up one fist and shook it . . . “
Illustration for page 217 of Johanna Spyri’s classic tale Heidi, (New York: Julian Messner, 1982). Mixed media with gouache and glaze on paper glued to board. 293x222 mm; 11½x8¾ inches, on 15x11-inch sheet. Signed “T. Howell” lower right image, captioned “Chap I7 Heidi” lower left margin; additionally signed and dated 1982 on mount verso. Matted and framed.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Troy howell (1953-)
“Tom Sawyer.”
Cover illustration Howell’s illustrated edition of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (New York: Children’s Classics, 1989). Mixed media with gouache and glaze on paper. 470x380 mm; 18½x15 inches, sheet. Signed “T. Howell” in lower right image, titled and additionally signed with Howell’s copyright in lower margin. Tipped to matte and framed to 21x18½ inches.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Trina schart hyman (1939-2004)
“Oh, easy for Leonardo!”
Illustration published on page 27 of Hyman’s illustrated edition of Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales, (New York: Holiday House, 1985). Acrylic on Bainbridge board. 165x102 mm; 6½x4 inches, image, on 11¾x7¼-inch board. Initialed “TSH” in pencil, lower margin. Tipped to window matte and framed to 14½x11¼. A copy of the book accompanies the artwork.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Trina schart hyman (1939-2004)
“They bent their heads to hear when he described the beautiful princess…”
Illustration of the prince and his brothers, published in The Water of Life: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm. Retold by by Barbara Rogansky. (New York: Holiday House, 1986) Ink and acrylic on board. 203x177 mm; 8x7 inches, image, on 13x10¼ inch-board. Initialed “TSH” in lower right image. Hinged to window matte.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
The prolific Hyman illustrated over 150 books, including fairy tales and Arthurian legends. She won the 1985 Caldecott Medal for her illustrations for Saint George and the Dragon, retold by Margaret Hodges.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Trina schart hyman (1939-2004)
“Literature and the Child.”
Together, two Chapter opening illustration published as two-page spreads in the textbook Literature and the Child, Second Edition by Bernice Cullinan (San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989). Pen and ink on board. 280x495 mm; 11x19½ inches. Initialed “TSH” in images. Tipped to window mattes.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Trina schart hyman (1939-2004)
Pair of story illustrations.
Caddie and Hetty on the hillside, published on page 212 in Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (New York: Scholastic, 1973). Watercolor and ink on paper. 160x102 mm; 4x6¼ inches * Guguza and her bookbag, published in Meet Guguze by Spiridon Vangheli,translated by Miriam Morton (Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley, 1977). 60x90 mm; 2¼x3¾ inches. Each on slightly larger sheets. Initialed “TSH” in lower images. Tipped to mattes.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$250 – $350
Hilary knight (1926-)
“Witch Watch.”
Illustrations for the front and rear covers of the October 1983 Halloween issue of Cricket, The Magazine for Children. Watercolor and pencil on board. 336x508 mm; 13¼x20 inches. Initialed “H.K.83” in lower left corner; artist’s label on verso with image description, beneath which is written: “Dedicated to Margaret Hamilton.” Tipped to window matte and framed.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Hilary Knight, best known as the illustrator of Kay Thompson’s Eloise books, has always been a great movie fan. He was delighted when he finally met character actress Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West; and he brought a publicity photo of her to sign. He later paid tribute in his wraparound mirror-image Halloween Cricket cover in 1983. The photo she autographed can be seen on the wall to the left of the vanity table in the bedroom.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Hilary knight (1926-)
“The Mysterious Gallion” [sic]
Illustration published on the covers of Cricket Magazine August 1984. Watercolor, pencil, and white tempera on Strathmore board. 315x483 mm; 12¼x19 on 15x20-inch board. Captioned in lower margin; verso with Knight’s label with illustration description in gold ink.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Edward lear (1812-1888)
“There was an old man who said `How, -shall I flee from this horrible Cow . . .”
Illustration for Lear’s A Book of Nonsense, Third edition (London, 1861). Pen and ink on blue paper. 140x177 mm; 5½x7⅞ inches, sheet. Captioned in ink below image. Float mounted on stepped matte and framed; Beetles label on frame verso.
Provenance: Chris Beetles, “The Illustrators, 29 Nov - 15 Dec 1989, Number 179; Christie’s, London, 1996; private collection, purchased from the above.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Ted lewin (1935-2021)
Oxen.
Illustration for unidentified work. Watercolor and graphite on board. 178x292 mm; 7x11½, image, on 9x14½-inch board. Signed “Lewin” lower right image. Tipped to matte and framed.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Oxen were significant for the Bushes as they would assemble 30 pairs of the great beasts on their front lawn for the annual Norwich Vt. Main Street parade. Lewin may have created the piece uniquely for them.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Arnold lobel (1933-1987)
“What if Frog has fallen into a deep hole and cannot get out?” * “Toad opened the door once more but Frog was not on the path.”
Together, two preliminary drawings for the double-page spread on pages 56-57 for the story "Christmas Eve" from Lobel's book Frog and Toad All Year. (New York: Harper & Row, 1979; reprinted: World's Work, 1980). Pen and ink on stiff paper. Frog in hole measures 300x227 mm; 11¾x9 inches, sheet. Toad at door measures 381x267 mm;15x10½ inches (but inset with text and illustration measure to first drawing) with printed text onlay at top. Both unsigned.
Provenance: The Artist's Estate; Private collection, New York.
Arnold Lobel was one of the greatest children's book illustrators of his generation. As gifted with words as pictures, he was one of a very few people to be honored by both the Newbery and Caldecott Committees. Although he won the Caldecott Medal for Fables (1980), he earned his immortality with the highly successful Frog and Toad series. "Lobel dealt head on with the complexities, misunderstandings, and emotional swings that define a true friendship," fellow illustrator Mo Willems has observed. "I can think of few creators who cared as much about his characters' emotional well-being as he did."
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Arnold lobel (1933-1987)
“Dogs.”
Illustration for the poem "Dogs" by Marchette Chute, published in Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems" (New York: Scholastic Inc., 1988), page 68 and on cover. Watercolor and ink on paper. 190x127 mm; 7½x5 inches, image, on larger sheet. Unsigned. Tipped to matte and archivally framed.
The charming poem it accompanied read: The Dogs I know have many shapes. For some are big and tall, And some are long, And some are thin, And some are fat and small. And some are little bits of fluff and have no shape at all."
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Arnold lobel (1933-1987)
“Mostly Animals.”
Headpiece illustration for the chapter "Mostly Animals" published in Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems" (New York: Scholastic Inc., 1988), page 61. Watercolor, ink, and correction fluid on paper. 102 mm; 4 inches, tondo, on larger sheet. Unsigned. Tipped to matte and archivally framed.
Arnold Lobel was one of the greatest children's book illustrators of his generation. As gifted with words as pictures, he was one of a very few people to be honored by both the Newbery and Caldecott Committees. Although he won the Caldecott Medal for Fables (1980), he earned his immortality with the highly successful Frog and Toad series. "Lobel dealt head on with the complexities, misunderstandings, and emotional swings that define a true friendship," fellow illustrator Mo Willems has observed. "I can think of few creators who cared as much about his characters' emotional well-being as he did."
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Beni montresor (1926-2001)
“Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater.”
Hand-colored proof for Montresor’s book I saw a ship a-sailing, or, The wonderful games that only little flower-plant children can play /as shown by Beni Montresor, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1967). Watercolor, gouache, ink, and glaze on paper. 231x250 mm; 9x9¾ inches. Signed and captioned “I Saw a Ship A-Sailing / Beni Montresor” on mount of window matte.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Eva noe (twentieth century)
A Child’s Garden of Verses.
Cover illustration for the 1926 edition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale for children. Gouache and watercolor on paper, mounted to board. 343x330 mm; 13½x13 inches. Signed “Eva Noe” in bottom left image. Framed.
Little information can be found on Noe who illustrated a number of children’s classics between 1910 and 1928.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Susan beatrice pearse (1878-1980)
“Little girl seated.”
Watercolor and graphite on paper. 420x310 mm; 16½x12¼, image, on 19x14-inch sheet. Not signed. Tipped to window matte.
Pearse was known for her children’s book series about a young girl, Ameliaranne, as well as beautiful, ethereal images of children and nature.
Estimate
$350 – $500
Clara elsene peck (1883-1968)
“‘They didn’t think I could do it, but I did.’”
Illustration for the story “The Song in the Tree-Tops: A Monologue by Sonny’s Father” by Ruth McEnery Stuart published in The Century Magazine, Volume 79, December 1909, page 277. Pen and ink on board. 432x381 mm; 17x15 inches, board. Signed lower center. Archivally framed and matted to 22½x21 inches.
Estimate
$600 – $900
William pène du bois (1916-1993)
“And to get to sleep, she counted bright sheep leaping into sunny meadows” * “Girl and Sunshine, the dog, rowing.”
Together, two illustrations published in The Night Book by Mark Strand (New York: Clarkson Potter, 1985). Watercolor and graphite on paper. 126x177; 5x7 inches. Unsigned. Inlaid to size on slightly larger mattes, matted and framed to 12¼x14 inches.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Pène du Bois’ whimsical illustrations and beloved cast of characters made serious themes accessible and engaging for children. The American author and illustrator is among a select few who have been presented with both a Newbery Medal (for The Twenty-One Balloons, 1947) and Caldecott Honors (for Bear Party, 1951 and Lion, 1956). As both artist and author, Pène du Bois captivated generations of readers with his unique combination of humor and imagination.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Alice and martin provensen (1918-2018 / 1916-1987)
“When my dreams come true.”
Illustration published as two-page spread in Aesop's Fairy Tales, (New York: Golden Press, 1965), pages 54-55. Mixed media with gouache, ink, and tempera on board. Unsigned. 335x553 mm; 13¼x21¾ inches. Tipped to window matte.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Alice Twitchell and Martin Provenson met in Hollywood when they were both working on World War II animated propaganda films at the Walter Lantz Studio. He had previously worked on Pinocchio, Fantasia and Dumbo for Walt Disney. They left the movies for children's books and quickly established themselves as important Golden Book illustrators, their best known book being Margaret Wise Brown's The Color Kittens (1951). They were named Caldecott runners-up for A Visit to William Blake's Inn (1981) and won the Caldecott Medal for The Glorious Flight (1983).
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Alice and martin provensen (1918-2018 / 1916-1987)
“The Swan Maiden.”
Illustration for the story by Howard Pyle, published on page 123 in The Provensen Book of Fairy Tales (New York: Random House, 1971). Mixed media with goauche, ink, and graphite on board. 300x245 mm; 11¾x9¾ inches. Signed "A. and M. Provensen" in ink, lower image; preparatory sketch in black in over pink gouache on verso.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Alice Twitchell and Martin Provenson met in Hollywood when they were both working on World War II animated propaganda films at the Walter Lantz Studio. He had previously worked on Pinocchio, Fantasia and Dumbo for Walt Disney. They left the movies for children's books and quickly established themselves as important Golden Book illustrators, their best known book being Margaret Wise Brown's The Color Kittens (1951). They were named Caldecott runners-up for A Visit to William Blake's Inn (1981) and won the Caldecott Medal for The Glorious Flight (1983).
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Arthur rackham (1867-1939)
“Goblin Market endpaper design.”
Ink and graphite on paper, circa 1933. 190x280 mm; 7½x11 inches, sheet. Lower margin contains inked directive initialed by Rackham and numerous pencil indications as well as a rough thumbnail sketch of the end papers. Float mounted and framed to 15x18½.
A fascinating look into Rackham's creative process for his book designs. His attention to detail included the placement of the repeating silhouette pattern of the creatures and tree to appear the front and rear endpapers of the 1933 edition of Christina Rossetti's story "Goblin Market" published in London by Harrap in 1933.
Rackham's note states: "I want the end papers to be as 'all-overish' as possible = not much gap between the blocks [the word "vertically" struck through] and as little as can be conveniently worked in the `gutter' between the two sides. AR"
The penciled notes indicate that two blocks would be used, one of a facsimile image, the other, its negative "reversed the other way around." A thumbnail sketch to the right shows how the "A B A / B A B" pattern was to appear. To the right of the main image, Rackham also lightly sketched the reverse of the main design.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Charles robinson (1870-1937)
“Sunshine Book.”
Likely illustration for a Charles Perrault or Hans Christian Andersen fable, circa 1930s. Watercolor, wash, and ink on paper. 415x285 mm; 16¼x11¼ images, on 17½x12-inch sheet. Unsigned but captioned "Sunshine Book" in lower margin; verso contains the stamp of Katherine Borland Studio and a note by her requesting care of the painting (presumably during printing and/or exhibition) as it is to be returned, a 7-image cartoon sketch of a man smoking appears above the note (hand unidentified). Tipped to matte and handsomely framed to 23½x29 inches.
Provenance: Kathleen Borland Collection, Covent Garden; Harrod's, London; private collection, Chicago.
Kathleen Borland founded her agency representing illustrators in 1929. Her studio was purchased by John Havergal in 1970 and renamed it The Garden Studio. It is currently operated as Illustration Ltd. by Harry Lyon Smith.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
William heath robinson (1872-1944)
“Nausicaa and her maidens brought him food and wine.”
Illustration published on page 76 in Homer’s Stories from the Odyssey illustrated by Robinson (London: T.C. and E.C. Jack, 1910), from the “Told To the Children” book series. Watercolor and ink on board. 250x185 mm; 9¾x7¼ inches. Signed “W. Heath Robinson” in upper left corner, recto, the verso with remnant of original backing containing Robinson’s inked name and London address. Hinged to window matte.
Estimate
$3,500 – $5,000
Jada rowland (1943-)
“They went down the mountainside on the sled so fast that Heidi thought they were flying!”
Illustration of Heidi and her grandfather, published on the double-page spread of pages 16/17 of Heidi by Susan Saunders (Mahwah: Troll Associates, 1988). Watercolor, pen-and-ink, and airbrush on Bristol paper. 432x630 mm; 17½x24½ inches. Signed “Jada Rowland” in lower left and with artist’s label on verso. Tipped to window matte.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Jada rowland (1943-)
"”I say there, that is an uncommonly fine pair of boots in the window,’ said Squire Higginbottom.”
Illustration for page 13 of Rowland’s book The Elves and the Shoemaker (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1989, page 13. Watercolor on Bristol paper. 305x228 mm; 12x9 inches. Signed “Jada Rowland” lower right image. Archivally matted and framed.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Albert rutherston [albert rothenstein] (1881-1953)
“The Awakening.”
Illustration published in The Children’s Blue Bird by Georgette Leblanc, (London: Methuen, 1913. 160 x 215 mm; 6¼x8½ inches. Ink and watercolor. Signed and dated "Albert R. 1916." Mounted to board and matte, with contemporary descriptive label mounted to verso.
Rutherston was the brother of the English painter, William Rothenstein, but changed his name. His drawings often foreshadow surrealism, which led to a cult following in the UK. They remain scarce on the market.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Daniel san souci (1946-2014)
“The Ghost of Christmas Present.”
Illustration for the Chapter “A Christmas Carol” published in A Season of joy: Favorite Stories and Poems for Christmas by Diane Arico (Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1987). Watercolor and airbrush on paper. 250x185 mm; 9¾x7¼ inches, image, on 13x10-inch sheet. Signed with San Souci’s monogram, lower left image; Doubleday label on verso. Tipped to window matte and framed to 18x14½ inches.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
A charming, colorful, and detailed image from Dickens’ classic tale.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Daniel san souci (1946-2014)
“‘How do you do, Mrs. Bunny,?’ he asked.”
Illustration for page 53 published in Easter Treasures: Favorite Stories and Poems for the Season, by Diane Arico (New York: Doubleday, 1989). Watercolor and ink on paper. 300x230 mm; 11¾x9 inches, on slightly larger sheet. Signed with San Souci’s monogram, lower right image. Matted and framed to 16x13 inches.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Christopher santoro (20th century)
The Last Dinosaur * Indricotherium.
Together, two illustrations published in Prehistoric Mammals by Santoro and Susanne Santoro Miller (New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1984). Tempera on board, with printed text mock-up pasted in. A copy of the book accompanies the artworks. 406x610 mm; 16x24 inches, boards. Unsigned.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Richard scarry (1919-1994)
“Huckle and Sally Cat, Lowly Worm, et al.” Animation production cel.
Hand-painted cel setup likely related to "The Busy World of Richard Scarry," the animated series which ran from 1994 to 1997, co-produced by CINAR (Canada), France Animation, and Paramount Television. 192x260 mm; 7½x10¼ inches, image.
The cel features some of Richard Scarry's most beloved creations: The cat siblings Huckle and Sally, Lowly Worm, and (presumably) Mrs. Hippo. A scene matching print background is included, very likely prepared by the studio. Cels for this series are exceedingly difficult to find; this one originated in Canada, and the reverse of the frame bears a Quebec frame shop label.
Estimate
$350 – $500
(sesame street) michael j. smollin (1925-2010)
1980 World Games Olympics Calendar Illustration.
Illustration used in the Sesame Street 1980 World Games Calendar (Random House / Children’s Television Workshop). Pen and ink on paper. 203x583 mm; 8x23 inches, sheet. Signed “M. Smollin” lower right image.
The Olympics-themed calendar featured a race run by Sesame Street Muppets along the bottom of each month; this fun panoramic piece was used for June, and features Grover (star of Smollin’s most famous work “The Monster at the End of This Book”) leading the pack, with other fan favorites Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster not far behind.
Estimate
$600 – $900
(sesame street)
Bert, Ernie, and Cookie Monster at a restaurant with friends.
Sesame Street illustration circa 1980s featuring Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Betty Lou, and Telly at a restaurant. Ink and watercolor on paper. 413x302 mm; 16¼x12 inches. Unsigned.
Estimate
$600 – $900
(sesame street)
“Today Betty Lou is at the doctor’s surgery.”
Illustration for a story titled “A Visit to the Doctor” in an Australian or British Sesame Street publication, circa 1980s. Ink and watercolor on paper. 413x302 mm; 16¼x12 inches. Unsigned.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Jessie willcox smith (1863-1935)
“Tasting.”
Study for the story in McClure’s magazine, 1907 and as the frontispiece in “The Five Senses” by Angela M. Keyes (New York: Moffat, Yard and Company, 1911). Watercolor on paper mounted to board. 191x110 mm; 7½x4¼ on 9x6¾-inch sheet. Not signed, but with ownership name of Miss Bessie Cleveland on verso.
Provenance: Private collection, Maine; current owner.
A sweet and detailed watercolor in the style and execution of Smith’s other studies. The preparatory drawing of “Touching” from this same series was sold by Swann Galleries in 2018.
Estimate
$12,000 – $18,000
Diane stanley (1943-)
“All Wet! All Wet!”
Illustration for page 27 of the same-titled children's book by James Skofield (New York: Harper & Row, 1984). Pencil, grey dye, and white ink. 190x140 mm; 7½x5½ inches, image, on 12½x9½-inch sheet. Unsigned but captioned in ink, lower margin. Matted and framed.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Diane stanley (1943-)
“Cleo and Lucy were the warmest of friends.”
Illustration for Stanley’s children’s book A Country Tale, (New York & London: Macmillan, 1985). Watercolor, ink, and graphite. 305x240 mm; 12x9½ inches, image, on 16¾x15-inch sheet. Captioned and signed “A Country Tale / Diane Stanley” in ink, lower margin. Matted and framed.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
A sweet tale of self-reflection and life lessons told through feline frienships. The text for this charming image reads: “A day rarely passed that one didn’t drop by the other’s house to bring flowers or borrow a wheelbarrow or ask for some advice.”
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Diane stanley (1943-)
“Instead of hiding when their husbands had guests, Peter commanded women to come forward and dine with them.”
Illustration for page 23 in Stanley’s Peter the Great, (New York: Harper Collins; London: Collier Macmillan, 1986). Gouache and tempera on paper. 295x274 mm; 11¾x10¾ inches. Unsigned. Tipped to window matte.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
A splendid illustration from Stanley’s book about the modernization of Russia by tsar Peter the Great.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$350 – $500
James stevenson (1929-1917)
Group of 3 story illustrations.
Watercolor and ink on paper. Each signed “Stevenson” and tipped to window mattes. Measurements given for sheets. All published by Greenwillow Press. “This is the Skyride to School” from Stevenson’s No Need for Monty. 1987. 12x18 inches* Girl and cat, from Grandaddy’s Place by Helen V. Griffith, 1991. 13¾x15 inches * I Know a Lady by Charlotte Zolotow, 1992. 16½x14 inches.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Cyndy szekeres (1933-)
Double scoops for Chipmunks.
Illustration titled “#14 chipmunk workbook diaries” on verso but possibly unpublished. Watercolor and ink on board. 190x140 mm; 7½x5² image, on 10x7½-inch board. Signed “Cyndy Szekeres” in lower left. Matted and framed to 15x12 inches.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Cyndy szekeres (1933-)
Group of 5 illustrations from various works.
Mixed media, including color pencil, watercolor and/or ink on board. Sizes vary, the largest measuring 330x290 mm; 13x11½ inches, the smallest, 114x243 mm; 4½x10 inches. Most signed.
A charming group of illustrations from Szekeres’ various books including Sammy fox from “Good Night Sammy” and sweet, if unidentified images of her mouse family stories.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Gustaf tenggren (1896-1970)
Trolls departing.
Unpublished illustration intended for the story “The Girl in the Crystal Lantern” published in Tenggren’s illustrated edition of the Swedish tales “Bland Tomtar och troll” (Stockholm, 1923). Watercolor & ink on board. 215x210 mm; 8½x8¼ inches (full board). Signed “Tenggren” in upper right corner. Tipped to window matte and framed.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Gustaf tenggren (1896-1970)
Sisters holding hands.
Illustration most likely from Tenggren’s “Golden Book” period of the 1940s-60s. Watercolor and ink on board. 242x140 mm; 9½x5½ inches, image, on 15x10-inch board. Signed “Tenggren” in lower right.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Tasha tudor (1915-2008)
“She was standing inside the secret garden.”
Illustration for page 69 of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1962) illustrated by Tudor; republished as the dust jacket cover and page 79 of the 1985 and later editions. Watercolor and graphite on paper. Circa 1962. 250x165 mm; 9¾x6½ inches, on 8x12¼-inch sheet. Signed "T. Tudor" in pencil, lower right image; caption with Tudor's own title as given here, written along bottom edge and extending up along the corner, and with her comment at left: "This picture falls in the book a page ahead of the incident - All right?" Printer's notes "¼ reduction" and assumed text placement ("p. 67") also penciled between Tudor's notes. Tipped to matte and framed.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
One of Tudor's most iconic images for Burnett's world-beloved children's classic. Though it was illustrated for English and American audiences by such noted artists as Maria Louise Kirk and Charles Heath Robinson since its first printing in 1911, it was Tudor's edition that revived and introduced it to new generations of readers in the second half of the century.
The image depicts the anticipation in the novel's pivotal scene when central character Mary Lennox takes the discovered key to the door of the secret garden and opens it slowly.
Provenance: Bush Galleries.
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Garth williams (1912-1996)
Four preparatory sketches for Stuart Little.
Group of four preparatory sketches created for the frontispiece of E. B. White’s “Stuart Little” (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1945). Graphite on paper. 400x305 mm; 15¾x12 inches, sheets. Each initialed “GW” in lower margin; one drawing with exact tracing on reverse.
Provenance: Estate of Garth Williams; Heritage Auctions, 2011; private collection purchased from above.
This series of drawings shows the evolution of the drawing that eventually became the frontispiece illustration for Stuart Little. Two of the drawings have notations in pencil by Williams, likely for the approval of E. B. White and editor Ursula Nordstrom. One of them reads: “don’t think he should look amused or worried” with an arrow pointing to Mr. Little. Below this is the word “no,” probably in White’s or Nordstrom’s hand. Another sheet has the notation “like this best for head,” also with an arrow pointing to Mr. Little.
In a 1983 letter to Peter F. Neumeyer, Garth Williams wrote that after much thought, he decided to make Mr. Little look like E. B. White and to make Mrs. Little to look like White’s wife, Katharine. Whether or not White realized this homage is unclear, as Williams wrote: “Mr. White passed the frontispiece without comment” (Peter F. Neumeyer, The Annotated Charlotte’s Web. New York: HarperCollins, 1994, page 201).
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Newell convers wyeth (1882-1945)
“War.”
Illustration from a series of whimsical images Wyeth created for his maternal grandparents entitled “My Grandfather’s Farm.” Graphite, ink wash and gouache on paper, circa 1900-02. 253x345 mm; 10x13½ inches. Signed “N.C. Wyeth” in lower right image. Tipped to window matte and framed.
Created by Wyeth at the age of 18, this image was one among a small group of charming rural scenes he drew for his mother’s family, the Zirngiebels. Another drawing from this group featuring the same group of animals, titled “Peace” is in the collection of the Brandywine Museum and is published in their catalogue raisonné. When this work was shown to them, it was suggested the title for this drawing, its companion, be entitled “War.”
Provenance: Family of the artist, Reading, Mass; private collector; De Wolfe & Wood Rare Books; the Ness Oleson Trust. The late Frannie Ness and Gary Oleson were the proprietors of Waiting for Godot Books of Hadley, MA, which specialized in rare American and English books.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Jane breskin zalben (1950- )
“All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.”
Two sheets joined as double-spread illustration for Zalben’s illustrated edition of Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” (New York & London: Frederick Warne, 1977). Watercolor on paper laid to board. 203x444 mm; 8x17½ inches (the full, joined image). Signed “Jane Breskin Zalben” in lower right. Archivally matted and framed. Exhibited: Justin Schiller Gallery, Morgan Library, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accompanied by a second edition of the book signed by the artist.
Award winning artist and illustrator Jane Breskin Zalben has produced picture books, chapter books, cook books and young adult novels as well as works of fine art. Among her most popular titles are An Invitation to the Butterfly Ball (1976), Jabbberwocky (1977), The Walrus and the Carpenter (1986), her series of Beni the Bear books, and Mousterpiece (2012), a witty introduction to Modern Art through the eyes of a little artistic mouse.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Jane breskin zalben (1950- )
“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe.”
Opening page illustration of Humpty Dumpty with initial letter “T” for Zalben’s illustrated edition of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky (New York & London: Frederick Warne, 1977). Watercolor on paper. 75x55 mm; 3x2¼ inches . Signed “Jane Breskin Zalben” in lower right.
Exhibited: Justin Schiller Gallery, Morgan Library, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Award winning artist and illustrator Jane Breskin Zalben has produced picture books, chapter books, cook books and young adult novels as well as works of fine art. Among her most popular titles are An Invitation to the Butterfly Ball (1976), Jabbberwocky (1977), The Walrus and the Carpenter (1986), her series of Beni the Bear books, and Mousterpiece (2012), a witty introduction to Modern Art through the eyes of a little artistic mouse.
Estimate
$600 – $900
General Book, Magazine & Advertising Illustration
Harold anderson (1894-1973)
Grandma will make it all better.
Cover illustration for American Druggist magazine, January 1935. Oil on canvas. 812x584 mm; 32x23 inches, framed to 35x25½ inches. Signed “Harold Anderson” in lower right corner. Recently cleaned and restored; see condition report.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Victor coleman anderson (1882-1937)
“He went to Egypt and there found exactly what he had dreamed.”
Illustration for the story “Galusha the Magnificent” by Joseph Crosby Lincoln, published in Pictorial Review May, 1921. Mixed media with gouache, watercolor, charcoal, and graphite, on board. 457x560 mm; 18x22 inches, board. Signed “Victor C. Anderson” lower right corner, and captioned in pencil, lower margin. Tipped to window matte and framed to 24x29 inches.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Wayne anderson (20th century)
“Sensing its hour, the thing inside heaves. The shell cracks.”
Illustration depicting dragon baby hatching, published on page 61 of The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson (Toronto: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1979). Mixed media, with gouache, watercolor, and graphite. Oval, measuring 215x279 mm; 8½x11 inches, on slightly larger sheet. Signed “Wayne Anderson” along lower right edge. Framed.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Anthony ausgang (1959-)
“Joined at Birth.”
Acrylic on canvas, stetched over circular plywood, 1996. 905 mm; 35¾ inches, tondo. Signed "Ausgang" in lower right image, titled, dated, and signed on verso.
A bright, fun work by one of the pioneers of Low Brow art and illustration.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
John austen (1886-1948)
“Odysseus.”
Frontispiece illustration of Perfection: A Translation from the Portuguese of Eça de Quieroz. by Charles Marriott (London: Selwyn & Blount Ltd., 1923). Watercolor, ink, heightened with gum arabic on paper. 215x177 mm; 8½x7 inches, image, on 11x9¼-inch sheet. Not signed. Tipped to window matte.
Estimate
$600 – $900
John austen (1886-1948)
“Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, Odysseus finished squaring the helm . . .”
Illustration on page 36 of Perfection: A Translation from the Portuguese of Eça de Quieroz. by Charles Marriott (London: Selwyn & Blount Ltd., 1923). Watercolor, ink, and glaze on paper. 223x182 mm; 8¾x7¼ inches, image, on 11x9¼-inch sheet. Not signed. Tipped to window matte.
Estimate
$600 – $900
William james aylward (1875-1956)
“Fulton’s ‘Claremont on the Hudson.’”
Comprehensive sketch, circa 1920. Gouache, watercolor, and charcoal on paper mounted to board. 292x452 mm; 11½x17¾ inches, sheet, float-mounted to captioned mount Signed “Rough ok by W. J. Aylward” written at a later date. Matted and framed to 23x28½ inches.
Provenance: Illustration House; to auction, 1999; private collection.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Ludwig bemelmans (1898-1962)
Drawing class..
Sketch of instructor (likely a self-portrait of Bemelmans) and students sketching. Pen an ink on paper. 250x204 mm; 9¾x8 inches, sheet, mounted to slightly larger backing paper. Signed “Bemelmans” in pencil, lower right. Original backing with artist’s stamped monogram on verso retained separately.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Ludwig bemelmans (1898-1962)
Three-tiered stove * Garnet.
Illustrations for an unknown publication. Ink, watercolor, and wash, on Palette artist's illustration board. 760x509 mm; 30x20 inches, boards. Unsigned. Laid to size in window matte; framed to 39x29 inches.
Provenance: The artist, gifted to an editor of Good Housekeeping magazine; thence by descent.
The celebrated illustrator and writer Ludwig Bemelmans, best known for his famous Madeline books, was also an avid gastronome. These amusing, large-scale drawings show his appreciation for the hominess and charm of the old cookstoves. Based upon his relationship to the recipient, it is assumed that they were created for Good Housekeeping.
Estimate
$3,500 – $5,000
Ludwig bemelmans (1898-1962)
Pair of potbelly stoves.
Illustrations for an unknown publication. Ink, watercolor, and wash, on Palette artist's illustration board. 760x509 mm; 30x20 inches, boards. Unsigned. Laid to size in window matte; framed to 39x29 inches.
Provenance: The artist, gifted to an editor of Good Housekeeping magazine; thence by descent.
The celebrated illustrator and writer Ludwig Bemelmans, best known for his famous Madeline books, was also an avid gastronome. These amusing, large-scale drawings show his appreciation for the hominess and charm of old cookstoves. Based upon his relationship to the recipient, it is assumed that they were created for Good Housekeeping.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Ludwig bemelmans (1898-1962)
Beauty No. 3 * The Fireside. A pair of illustrations of cast iron stoves.</>
Illustrations for an unknown publication. Ink, watercolor, and wash, on Palette artist's illustration board. 760x509 mm; 30x20 inches, boards. Unsigned. Laid to size in window matte; framed to 39x29 inches.
Provenance: The artist, gifted to an editor of Good Housekeeping magazine; thence by descent.
The celebrated illustrator and writer Ludwig Bemelmans, best known for his famous Madeline books, was also an avid gastronome. These amusing, large-scale drawings show his appreciation for the hominess and charm of old cookstoves. Based upon his relationship to the recipient, it is assumed that they were created for Good Housekeeping.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Paul émile berthon (1872-1909)
The Marionette.
Maquette for unidentified, possibly unpublished poster or advertisement. A charming image of a young woman amusing two children with a jaunty Punch-like marionette puppet. Mixed media with watercolor, graphite, color pencil, and metallic paint on heavy paper backed in linen. 533x400 mm; 21x15¾ inches. Signed and dated “Paul Berthon . 98 .” in upper right corner. Float-mounted to silk-covered matte in a handsome Art Nouveau frame measuring 29½x23½ inches.
Other than a small design for a decorative vase, no painting by the great French poster and fine artist Berthon has come to market. This charming image featuring a young woman, likely a governess, amusing her delighted charges with a brightly colored marionette, was likely done for a department or toy store advertisement. The background contains a decorative pattern of shuttlecocks, a popular pastime at the turn of the century and further establishing the theme of play in the image.
Estimate
$15,000 – $25,000
Joe bowler (1928-2017)
Tropical embrace.
Illustration of an amorous couple for an unidentified story, circa 1957-58. Gouache and graphite on board. 406x406 mm; 16x16 inches, image, on 20x20½-inch board. Signed “Bowler” in lower left image. Tipped to window matte and framed to 24½x23 inches.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Robert childress (1915-1983)
Group of 8 illustrations for the 1948 American Agriculturalist calendar.
Missing illustrations for the months of May, June, September, and November. Gouache on canvas board. 560x717 mm; 21¾x28¼ inches. Unsigned, but with several notes to the publishers. A copy of the printed calendar accompanies the artwork as well as several tear sheets for various advertisements for other agricultural products.
Provenance: The artist; thence by descent to family.
Bob Childress is best known as a primary illustrator of the “Dick and Jane” series of readers published by the Scott Foresman Company in the late 1950s and early 1960s, used in the United States and abroad for nearly four decades (see lot 10 for related lot). Early in his career, he promoted agricultural and farming products through his illustrations during and shortly after World War II (such as this lot) and went on to become a prolific commercial illustrator for such notable ad campaigns as Frigidaire, Mobil, Campbell Soup, Coca Cola, Wonder Bread, Carstairs Whiskey, Metropolitan Life, and Westinghouse, among others.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Joseph clement coll (1881-1921)
Burglary.
Illustration for an unidentified mystery story. Pen and ink on academy board, circa 1920. 9½x11½ inches, sight size. Unsigned. Archivally matted and framed to 18x20 inches.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Edmund dulac (1882-1953)
“The Lady Bedr-el-Budur.”
Illustration published in Sindbad the Sailor & Other Stories from The Arabian Nights, (London: Hodder & Stoughton, [1914]). Watercolor, gouache, pen, and ink on paper. 315x254 mm; 12½x10 inches, image, on 14¾x11¼ inch-sheet. Signed “Edmund Dulac” in lower right corner, penciled caption “No. 12 Princess Bad youlbedour [sic].” Tipped to window matte and framed to 20x17½. Remnant of original backing with Leicester Galleries label mounted to current frame back.
Exhibited: Leicester Galleries, London, 1910, catalogue 131, no. 28.
Dulac’s first foray into illustrating stories from the Arabian Nights was in 1907. With his detailed realism combined with a mysterious exoticism, Dulac blended Orientalism with the contemporary Art Deco. His exhibition at Leicester Galleries in 1910 cemented his status as a fashionable exotic artist of the day.
Estimate
$8,000 – $12,000
W. herbert (“buck”) dunton (1878-1936)
A hasty retreat.
Illustration for an unidentified story. Oil on canvas. 510x360 mm; 20x14 inches. Signed and dated “W. Herbert Dunton `07” in lower right. On original stretcher with remnant of caption glued to one side.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Ruth eastman (1882-1976) attributed to
Maquette for cover of Liberty Magazine.
Rough for cover of Liberty Magazine, Oct 25, 1924. Oil on board with label paste-ups. 355x254 mm; 14x10 inches. Unsigned but identical in execution to other Eastman cover mock-ups for Liberty.
Estimate
$600 – $900
John falter (1910-1982)
“Slobsmanship.”
Preliminary sketches for cover of The Saturday Evening Post, published July 1, 1961. One color study in watercolor and pen on board. 337x270 mm; 13¼x10¾ inches. Initialed “JF” in lower left image. Four pencil rough detail sketches on same board size; two smaller studies on board of the fastidious neighbor (“The Neaty” as Falter captions him), and 16 working photographs of model Tom Hunter as said “Neaty” in various amusing poses with hedge clippers. Envelope from photography studio to Falter.
Falter was a prolific illustrator and is best known for his more than 120 covers produced for The Saturday Evening Post. He received commissions for other leading publications of the day, including Esquire, McCall’s, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Life, and Look. This lot, with its sketches in varying stages of detail, give insight into Falter’s working process as he developed compositions over time.
Estimate
$600 – $900
John edwin forbes (1839-1895)
Study of sharpshooters in a bunker.
Likely for Leslie’s Illustrated” newspaper. Graphite on light blue-green paper. 176X228 mm; 7x9 inches, sheet. Initialed and dated “E.F. `66.” in lower left image. Framed.
Forbes was 22 when he joined the staff of Leslie’s in 1861 as a reportorial artist, covering the course of the Civil War. After the war, he created a series of detailed etchings, which he published in 1891 as Thirty Years After: An Artist’s Story of the Great War. This sketch, created a year after the Civil War ended, may have been a study for one of those works.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Witold gordon (1885-1968)
“Amoré.”
Illustration from an un unpublished edition of Sindbad the Sailor. Gouache on board, 1932. 300x223 mm; 11¾x8¾ inches, image. Signed “Witold Gordon” in lower right image. Matted and framed to 19¼x16¼ inches.
In 1932, Gordon created an exceptional set of illustrations for a planned book of The Travels of Sinbad. However, on the heels of the Great Depression, the book was never published and the illustrations stayed together in his private archive until his death.
Witold Gordon was a Polish-born American Art Deco painter best known for his murals in Radio City Music Hall completed in 1932. He painted a 6,000 square foot mural for the 1939 New York World’s Fair and a series of New Yorker covers depicting the city in its recent past. He also designed the poster for the original Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (1943).
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Witold gordon (1885-1968)
Presenting the stallion to Sindbad.
Illustration from an un unpublished edition of Sindbad the Sailor. Gouache on board, 1932. 300x223 mm; 11¾x8¾ inches, image. Signed “Witold Gordon” in lower right image. Matted and framed to 19¼x16¼ inches.
In 1932, Gordon created an exceptional set of illustrations for a planned book of The Travels of Sinbad. However, on the heels of the Great Depression, the book was never published and the illustrations stayed together in his private archive until his death.
Witold Gordon was a Polish-born American Art Deco painter best known for his murals in Radio City Music Hall completed in 1932. He painted a 6,000 square foot mural for the 1939 New York World’s Fair and a series of New Yorker covers depicting the city in its recent past. He also designed the poster for the original Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (1943).
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Witold gordon (1885-1968)
Abstract portrait of Donald Deskey and family.
Gouache on board, circa 1930s. 381x610 mm; 15x24 inches, sight. Signed “Witold Gordon” in pencil, lower right image. Framed to 23x32 inches, with inscription shown through window on verso.
A lovely abstract portrait in blues, greens, and neutrals, painted for the artist’s good friend and colleague, designer Donald Deskey. The verso is Inscribed and Signed by Deskey’s son, Michael upon gifting it to the present owners: “This, in my family from the 1930’s, shows my father, an avid fisherman, my mother, a pianist, and we two boys, Michael & Stephen, on a seesaw. Michael Deskey, 18 Nov 2006.”
Witold Gordon was a Polish-born American Art Deco painter best known for his murals in Radio City Music Hall completed in 1932. He painted a 6,000 square foot mural for the 1939 New York World’s Fair and a series of New Yorker covers depicting the city in its recent past. He also designed the poster for the original Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (1943).
Prominent American designer, Donald Deskey, coordinated the painting of murals at Radio City Music Hall and commissioned Gordon, among the period’s foremost avant-garde artists, along with Stuart Davis and William Zorach, to create two of them. A long friendship between their families ensued.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Edward gorey (1925-2000)
“A Song and a Diary for A.”
Cover illustration for A Song and a Diary for A by Richard Elliott (New York: Adventures in Poetry, 1973). Pen and ink on paper (drawn on the blank verso of the printer’s proof sheets for “Red Riding Hood” by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, illustrated by Gorey, New York: Atheneum, 1972). 265x191 mm; 10¼x7½ inches, image, on 11½x9-inch sheet. Signed “Edward Gorey” in pencil, lower right. Cornered to matte measuring 15¾x13 inches.
A Song and a Diary for A was published at The Poetry Project, St. Mark’s Church In-the-Bowery, New York City, in an edition of 26 lettered and signed by Gorey.
Estimate
$6,000 – $9,000
Roger hane (1939-1974)
“A Love by the Stars.”De Beers Diamond advertisement.
Created for De Beers' "A Diamond is Forever" campaign, 1971. Acrylic on canvas. 914x711 mm; 36x28 inches.
Hane was a highly talented and prolific illustrator during the short span of his professional career. Though he created hundreds of magazine, book, and album cover designs, he is likely best known for the covers of the Collier-Macmillan editions of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia books and the surrealist covers for Carlos Castaneda's The Teachings of Don Juan and A Separate Reality for Simon & Schuster.
Created for De Beers' ubiquitous "Diamonds are Forever" camapign, the painting is a gorgeous example of his work, generally scarce on the market. It is rendered in a rich palette, with moody figures and backgrounds to create a sense of mystique. The full text, with its very 1970s astrology vibe, read: "A love by the stars was important. Until the right man of the wrong sign put his star on my finger. And I entered his house with my love."
Hane was at the height of his creative powers when he died as a result of a mugging in Central Park, but was recognized by the artistic community with several posthumous awards. Philadelphia College of Art, in his home state of Pennsylvania, offers an annual Roger T. Hane Memorial Award to the student with the year's best illustration portfolio.
Estimate
$15,000 – $25,000
Gaston hoffmann (1883-1977)
Disorder in the Court.
Oil on canvas, circa 1930. 380x457 mm; 15x18 inches. Signed “Gaston Hoffman” at lower right. Framed.
Gaston Hoffmann worked as a painter, decorator, cartoonist, and illustrator in France and Quebec throughout the first half of the 20th century. This painting is part of Hoffmann’s series of humorous scenes featuring young women baring it all before a shocked and titillated audience inside a courtroom.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Clarence holbrook carter (1904-2000)
Angel with scroll.
Watercolor, ink, and wash on textured paper. 278x220 mm; 11x8¾ inches. Signed and dated “Clarence M. Carter 62” lower left. Mounted to 15¾x13-inch board.
Holbrook, the esteemed American artist from Ohio had achieved a reputation as a chronicler or the Depression and rural America before turning to less narrative and figurative images and adopting a more surrealist style following World War Two.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Hannibal ibarra (20th c)
Fantasy Illustration with mermaids, sprite, and satyr.
Mixed media on paper. 310x435 mm; 12¼x17½ inches, sight. Signed “Hannibal 2012” in lower right image. Matted and framed to 27x23 inches.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Jay paul jackson (1905-1954)
Etta Moten Barnett dancing.
Illustration created for the American Negro Exposition, circa 1940. Watercolor on paper. 317x240 mm; 12½x9½. Signed “Jay Jackson” in pencil, lower right corner. Archivallty float-mounted, matted, and framed to 18x14 inches.
Jackson was a prolific artist and cartoonist whose work appeared in the Chicago Defender, a Black newspaper, in the 1940s. Battling racism in the industry, Jackson formed his own feature syndicate in the 1950s to distribute his “Home Folks” cartoon, a humorous, bird’s-eye view of the Black experience in the United States.
Etta Moten Barnett (1901-2004) was a pioneering singer and actress who expanded roles for African-American women on stage and screen. She was best known for her celebrated role as “Bess” in the musical “Porgy and Bess” and was invited to perform at the White House. In addition to her career, she was a politcial delegate, civic activist and philanthropist.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Jay paul jackson (1905-1954)
Etta Moten Barnett singing.
Illustration created for the American Negro Exposition, circa 1940. Watercolor on paper. 317x240 mm; 12½x9½. Signed “Jay Jackson” in pencil, lower right corner. Archivallty float-mounted, matted, and framed to 18x14 inches.
Jackson was a prolific artist and cartoonist whose work appeared in the Chicago Defender, a Black newspaper, in the 1940s. Battling racism in the industry, Jackson formed his own feature syndicate in the 1950s to distribute his “Home Folks” cartoon, a humorous, bird’s-eye view of the Black experience in the United States.
Etta Moten Barnett (1901-2004) was a pioneering singer and actress who expanded roles for African-American women on stage and screen. She was best known for her celebrated role as “Bess” in the musical “Porgy and Bess” and was invited to perform at the White House. In addition to her career, she was a politcial delegate, civic activist and philanthropist.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Arthur i. keller (1866-1924)
Startled.
Illustration for unidentified story, circa 1912. Gouache on board, heightened in white. 190x311 mm; 7½x12¼ inches. Signed “A.I. Keller” in lower left image. Framed.
Estimate
$350 – $500
Edward windsor kemble (1861-1933)
Tennis player.
Illustration for an unidentified story. Pen and ink on paper. 197x127 mm; 7¾x5 inches, image, on 10x8-inch sheet. Signed “Kemble” in ink, image left.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Margaret and troy kinney (1872/1871 - 1952/1938)
Dancing girl in Norwegian bunad.
Oil on canvas. 845x535 mm; 33¼x21 inches. Signed "The Kinneys" in lower left corner.
A lovely collaborative painting by the American husband and wife artists.
Troy Kinney was an illustrator, painter, etcher, and print maker/graphic artist from Kansas City, Missouri. Kinney married Margaret West, who was also an artist. They collaborated so often that people referred to them jointly as "the Kinneys." They created illustrations for several books and covers for Harper's Bazaar magazine as well as fine art paintings, many of which focused on dance, as in this canvas. In 1910, a book publisher sent the couple to Spain to make a set of illustrations for the first English translation of the book Blood and Sand. While in Spain, Kinney became fascinated with Spanish dancing and spent several years studying it. In 1914 he wrote a book on the subject titled The Dance, Its Place in Art and Life.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Robert lawson (1892-1957)
“Compliments of The Household Magazine.”
Likely illustration for the article “When those imps get busy, dirt has no chance” by Harriet W. Allard in Household Magazine, Volume 22, number 7, July 1933. Carbon pencil, ink, and watercolor on Whatman board. 360x240 mm; 14¼x9½ inches, on 20x15-inch board. Signed “Robert Lawson” within box, lower left image. Tipped to matte and framed to 22½x18½.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Edouard edy legrand (1892-1970)
Tartarin of Tarascon Reading.”
Illustration published in Alphonse Daudet’s Aventures Prodigieuses de Tartarin de Tarascon from the Oeuvres Complètes Illustrées (Paris: Librairie de France, 1930). Ink and tempera on paper with graphite sketch on verso. image measures 343x242 mm; 13½x9½ inches, on rough-cut 17½x11-inch sheet. Signed “Edy Legrand” in image, lower left, captioned in lower margin, and “M.S.” ink-stamped in lower corner (likely former collection stamp).
Estimate
$500 – $750
Michael leonard (1933-)
“Precious Bane.”
Illustration for the story of the same name by Mary Webb published in Reader’s Digest Best Loved Books series, voluMe 14, page 540 (New York, 1969). Watercolor, ink and graphite on board. 330x254 mm;13x10 inches, on 18x12¼-inch board. Signed in pencil, verso, along with caption and details of publication.
Leonard is a highly accomplished, versatile artist, known and celebrated for his contributions to both illustration and fine art, especially his homoerotic works.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Orson byron lowell (1871-1956)
“A Girl with a Fan.”
Illustration for LIFE magazine, published March 3, 1917. Also illustrated on the cover, title-page, and page 59 of Fashion and Satire: The Drawings of Orson Byron Lowell and Charles Dana Gibson by Frederic A. Sharf and Jill Carey (Boston: Jean S. & Frederic A. Sharf collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2016). Ink with graphite and gouache on paper. 575x550 mm; 22¾x21¾ inches (sight size), on slightly larger. Signed “Orson Lowell” in lower right image. Tipped to window matte and archivally framed with description label on verso.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
David macaulay (1946-)
Four illustrations for Great Moments in Architecture,
Macaulay’s 1978 book (Boston: Houghton Mifflin). Pen and ink on paper. Two drawings measure 6x6¼ inches and two measure 9½x7¾ inches, all on slightly larger sheets providing ample margins. Signed “David Macaulay” and dated 1976 below image at lower left.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Marvin mattleson (1947-)
Steve McQueen.
Illustration commissioned by The Arts and Entertainment Network, 1991. Oil on rag board. 12¾x8¼ inches. Signed lower left image. Matted and framed to 23x17 inches.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Earl mayan (1916-2009)
“The Helpful American.”
Together, two illustrations for the story “The Helpful American” by Leon Ware published in The Saturday Evening Post, October 3, 1959, with their notation on verso. Oil and tempera on board. 431x1200 mm; 17x40 inches; and 553x635 mm; 21¾x25 inches. Both signed in image. Both archivally matted, as is the the tearsheet of the story from the magazine showing both illustrations.
The story’s subtitle “His wife and daughter expected him to disgrace them among the genteel English . . . “ hints at the ultimate acceptance of a seemingly unrefined suburban man abroad. The published caption of the square image is “‘We’ve been looking for you,’ the warder said. ‘If you will follow me, sir?’” The caption for the horizontal image: “I don’t suppose the owner would object to our using some of that wire?”
Provenance: Property of the artist’s family.
Horizontal image reproduced in Illustration Magazine, issue Fifty-Seven, page 42.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Neysa McMein (1888 - 1949)
After selling her first drawing to the Boston Star, McMein began illustrating covers for The Saturday Evening Post in 1915 where her illustrations featured glamorous and fashionable young women. Quickly gaining popularity, McMein received several commissions for the leading magazines of the time, including Collier’s, McClure’s, Liberty, and Woman’s Home Companion.
As seen below, explore McMein’s outstanding illustration used for the R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co. print advertisement “Of the three types of table service, which should you use?”
Neysa mcmein (1888-1949)
The Admirable Hostess. Wallace Silver advertisement.
Illustration used for the R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co. print advertisement "Of the three types of table service, which should you use?" first published in The Saturday Evening Post January 8, 1921. Pastel on board. 750x656 mm; 29½x25¾, sight size. A tear sheet of the advertisement accompanies the lot.
Provenance: Acquired indirectly from the Estate of Norman Platnick.
Literature: The Lady Seldom Smiles: A Collector's Guide to Neysa McMein by Norman I. Platnick. Published by Enchantment Ink, 2008.
Born Marjorie McMein, the artist changed her name to "Neysa" after moving to New York City to pursue a brief acting career. She studied at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago and at the Art Students League. After selling her first drawing to the Boston Star, McMein began illustrating covers for The Saturday Evening Post in 1915 where her covers featuring glamorous and fashionable young women quickly gained popularity and brought her many more commissions for the leading magazines of the day, including Collier's, McClure's, Liberty, and Woman's Home Companion.
During World War I, McMein was commissioned to create propaganda posters for the governments of the United States and France, as well as to design fundraising posters for the Red Cross and YMCA. From 1923 to 1937, she produced all the covers for McCall's. She also created advertisements for leading brands like Lucky Strike, Palmolive, and Betty Crocker, for which she produced a portrait of the fictional home baker. When magazines began reducing costs by replacing expensive commissioned illustrations with the cheaper medium of photography, McMein pivoted from her commercial career and primarily painted commissioned portraits.
McMein was an ardent supporter of women's suffrage and was known to be fiercely independent with an active social life, which sometimes pushed the boundaries of propriety. She was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1984, 35 years after her death.
Estimate
$6,000 – $9,000
Stanley meltzoff (1917-2006)
Untitled (pipelines).
Likely advertisement or promotional illustration commissioned by United Engineers & Constructors Inc., November 1955. Oil on gesso panel. 540x560 mm; 21¼x22 inches, framed to 26x26½. Unsigned but dated on verso. Provenance: From the Estate of Stanley Meltzoff.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Stanley meltzoff (1917-2006)
Marie-Jeanne, Dancer in Dressing Room.
Oil on panel gesso. 938x711 mm; 37x28 inches. Titled, signed, and dated by Meltzoff on verso: "Marie-Jeanne Pelus de Quesada / Ballerina on Tour / Aug 1947 / Stanley Meltzoff."
Provenance: From the Estate of Stanley Meltzoff.
An intimate portrait of the American ballerina in a pensive state back stage. Marie-Jeanne (who dropped her surname of Pelus to sound more stage-like) was acclaimed for the speed of her jumps and beats. She was long associated with George Ballanchine and a member of the New York City Ballet.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Herb mott (1923-)
“The Circus Comes to Town (Rock Island).”
Illustration for the cover of Railroad Magazine, Volume 54, Number 4 published May, 1951. Gouache on board. 450x407 mm: 17¾x16 inches, image, on 22¼x19¾-inch board. Signed “Herb Mott” in lower right image. Matted and framed. A copy of the magazine accompanies the artwork.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Zoe mozert (1907-1993)
May Model.
Original illustration used as the basis for the cover image published in Romantic Story magazine, May 1939. Pastel on board. 406x305 mm; 16x12 inches, image, on 23x19-inch board. Signed and dated “Zoe Mozert `37” in pencil, lower right image; ghost of lighter, first signature slightly above it. Mounted to foam board, framed with oval matte to 27x22½ inches. A copy of the magazine accompanies the artwork.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
(new york city) new yorker hotel / central park
New Yorker Hotel Frolicking Elves Birthday.
Illustration of frolicking, musical elves celebrating the first birthday of the famed New Yorker Hotel, which opened January 2nd 1930. Pen and ink on illustration paper, 1931. Unsigned. 310x230 mm; 12¼x9 inches, on 14¼x10½-inch sheet. The the joyful elves are seen with a birthday cake before the famed Manhattan art deco hotel, which is prominently highlighted in the image. The Empire State Building, which was still under construction at the time, appears at the left. The body of water appears to be an imagined amalgam of Central Park Lake and the Hudson River. This may have been used for a menu or other publication related to an event celebrating the hotel’s first anniversary (which, given the date, could have been a New Year’s party). A unique and charming piece of New York City history.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Antonio petruccelli (1907-1994)
American Eagle.
Alternate cover for Fortune Magazine February, 1940. Gouache on board. 350x285 mm; 13¾x11¼. Signed “A. Petrucelli” in lower left image. Tipped to mount, matted, and framed.
Petrucelli created numerous covers for Fortune magazine. He said of this project: “This was a Hank Brennan assignment. He wanted a decorative stylized eagle with silver or gold for one color. I did three versions and of course the one I lease preferred was used.” (See: fulltable.com/vts/p/pet/menu.htm).
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Jerry pinkney (1939-2021)
Ernest “Ernie” Davis.
Watercolor and gouache on Bainbridge Board, circa 1970. 445x400 mm; 17½x15¾ inches. Signed "J. Pinkney" in lower left image. Hinged to matte.
Provenance: The Anthony and Davida Artis Collection of African-American Fine Art (Flint, MI).
A fine portrait by Pinkney of Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman trophy, in 1961.
Jerry Pinkney, who died last year, leaving a tremendous and important body of work, won numerous awards including the Caldecott Medal for 2010, for which he was the first African-American artist to hold that honor. He was also the first illustrator to be honored with a full-scale retrospective of his work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In addition to that, he served on the United States Postal Service Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee for a decade, from 1982 to 1992, and in 2003 was appointed to the National Council on the Arts/NEA, where he became an influential advocate for arts funding.
Davis played college football for Syracuse University when they won the 1960 National Championship. He was the first pick in the 1962 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Cleveland Browns, but was diagnosed with leukemia that same year. Davis died shortly thereafter, at the age of 23, without ever playing in a professional game. He was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Estimate
$3,000 – $5,000
(pulps & slicks) artist unidentified.
Held hostage.
Oil on canvas cloth mounted to board. 410x360 mm; 16¼x14¼ inches, image, mounted to 22x16-inch board. Signed and dated illegibly in lower left corner. Matted and framed.
An image of a pretty young woman in a red party dress, hands tied, while her apparent kidnapper gunman keeps watch.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Howard pyle (1853-1911)
“The Odes and Epodes of Horace.”
Title-page illustration published in The Odes and Epodes of Horace, (Boston: Bibliophile Society, 1901). Pen and ink on academy board, with small collage element. 280x178 mm; 11x7 inches, sheet. Signed and dated “H. Pyle 1901” lower right corner. Tipped to matte and archivally framed to 15x13½ inches.
A beautiful and detailed image that displays Pyle’s exquisite brush work.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Jim schaeffing (1920-)
“‘We’ll be helping build a new era in the countryside,’ he said. She had tried to feel as he did.’”
Illustration for the story “Where the Heart Is” by Harriet Shiek, published in Woman magazine, June 28, 1958. Tempera and pencil on board. 414x310 mm; 16¼x12¼ inches, board. Signed “Schaeffing” lower left image. Mounted to inset matte and archivally framed to 25x21 inches. A tear sheet of the story accompanies the artwork.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Eric sloane (1905-1985)
“Strange Sugar Cane Mills of the Early 1800s”
Illustration published in Sloane's Seasons of America Past, page 96 (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1958). Pen and ink with wash and graphite under sketching, on paper. 466x323 mm; 18½x12¾ inches, sheet. Signed "Eric Sloane N.Y." in ink, lower right.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Ben shahn (1898-1969)
Consider the Lily.
Published in Shahn's book The Shape of Content (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1957), page 57. Pen and ink on cream wove paper. Image measures 153x85 mm; 6x3½ inches, on 8⅞x6-inch sheet. Signed "Ben Shahn" lower right image. A preserved label from The Downtown gallery, New York excised from the original frame back, accompanies the artwork.
According the the acknowledgements, this drawing was part of the artist's own collection at the time of publication.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Edward shenton (1895-1977)
Group of 7 illustrations for F. Scott Fitzgerald novels including “Tender is the Night.”
Tender is the Night published in Scribner’s Magazine Volume 95, January-April 1934. Other stories unidentified. Pen and ink on board. Sizes vary, the smallest measuring 140x110 mm; 5½x4¼ inches, the largest at 8½x11½ inches. Unsigned, but with several penciled marginal publishing indications and measurements, only one partially captioned. Each float mounted and framed in glass and brown wood to 17x14½ inches, the largest.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Jerome snyder (1916-1976)
Group of over 50 works of illustration for various projects.
Contains an array of book, advertising, magazine, and editorial illustrations from the prolific artist, both published and proposed. Mixed media with pen and ink, sometimes with watercolor or gouache, mostly on paper or onionskin. Sizes vary from notebook size to folio sheets. Some signed or initialed. Should be seen. Contents include drawings for “Eminently Edible: Ten True Tales Tastefully Told,” published in Lithopinion: The Graphic Arts and Public Affairs Journal of Local One, Amalgamated Lithographers of America, and Lithographic Employers, Issue 33, Spring 1974 * Why Is This Man Whistling?” published in a picture essay of the same title in Esquire, November 1968 * several sheets for a proposed book on cross-country travel * and more.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Roy f. spreter (1899-1967)
Woman at toilette. Standard Sanitary Co. advertisement.
Illustration used for print ads for Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1920s. Oil on canvas 712x610 mm; 28x24 inches, framed to 32¼x27¼ inches. Signed "Spreter" in lower right corner and with remnants of original Standard label loose but kept with frame.
Roy F. Spreter, an artist, portrait painter, and illustrator, was born in Chicago in 1899. By the time he was 20, he had become a commercial artist at Grauman & Company in Chicago. There, he was a member of the Palette & Chisel Club where he participated in his first exhibition in 1922.
In the early 1920s, he moved to the Philadelphia area, participated in the notable exhibition “Seven Men” at the Philadelphia Art Club, and maintained his home and studio in the suburb of Gladwyne, which had the distinction of being designed by the renowned architect, William Lescaze (of the famous first international modern skyscraper, 1932’s PSFS Building, in Philadelphia).
Spreter's commercial clients included Cream of Wheat, Look Magazine, Women’s Home Companion, The American Magazine, Ladies’ Home Journal, Liberty magazine, Standard Sanitary Mfg., and several others. He also was well-regarded as a portrait painter.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Roy f. spreter (1899-1967)
Breakfast time for baby. Probable Cream of Wheat advertisement.
Oil on canvas, circa 1920s. 482x712 mm; 19x28 inches, framed to 22x32 inches. Unsigned.
Roy F. Spreter, an artist, portrait painter, and illustrator, was born in Chicago in 1899. By the time he was 20, he had become a commercial artist at Grauman & Company in Chicago. There, he was a member of the Palette & Chisel Club where he participated in his first exhibition in 1922.
In the early 1920s, he moved to the Philadelphia area, participated in the notable exhibition “Seven Men” at the Philadelphia Art Club, and maintained his home and studio in the suburb of Gladwyne, which had the distinction of being designed by the renowned architect, William Lescaze (of the famous first international modern skyscraper, 1932’s PSFS Building, in Philadelphia).
Spreter's commercial clients included Cream of Wheat, Look Magazine, Women’s Home Companion, The American Magazine, Ladies’ Home Journal, Liberty magazine, Standard Sanitary Mfg., and several others. He also was well-regarded as a portrait painter.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
William steig (1907-2003)
Honey, I’m home!
Illustration for unidentified story. Ink on cream wove paper mounted to board. 190x330 mm; 7½x13 inches, image, on 13x18½-inch board. Signed “W. Steig” in lower right image. Taped to window matte.
Estimate
$600 – $900
William steig (1907-2003)
Diving and Swimming.
Illustration for Mount Tremblant Ski Resort, circa 1938. Watercolor and ink on Whatman board. 203x405 mm; 8x16 inches, image, on 14¼x22-inch board. Signed “W. Steig” in lower left image.
In 1938, Philadelphian Joseph B. Ryan traveled to Canada and built a world class ski resort at Mount Tremblant. It remains part of the town’s Pedestrian Village. He commissioned Steig to create a series of lighthearted outdoor sporting scenes for the resort’s bar area.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
William steig (1907-2003)
Hunting with hound.
Illustration for Mount Tremblant Ski Resort, circa 1938. Watercolor and ink on Whatman board. 203x405 mm; 8x16 inches, image, on 14¼x22-inch board. Signed “W. Steig” in lower left image.
In 1938, Philadelphian Joseph B. Ryan traveled to Canada and built a world class ski resort at Mount Tremblant. It remains part of the town’s Pedestrian Village. He commissioned Steig to create a series of lighthearted outdoor sporting scenes for the resort’s bar area.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
William steig (1907-2003)
“Reptiles I’m Always Meeting.”
Group of four studies for illustrations in the Chapter named above, published in How to Become Extinct, by Will Cuppy (Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 1983). Pen and ink on paper. Average image size is 76x102 mm; 3x4 inches, on 11¼x7½-inch sheets. All captioned in lower margins, only one initialed “WS” by Steig (“Own your own snake”).
Illustrations: The Garter Snake, The Glass Snake, Own Your Own Snake, and The Rattlesnake.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Théophile-alexandre steinlen (1859-1923)
“Startled by a Troll in a Snow-Covered Field.”
Illustration for the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Snow Queen." Charcoal on paper. 445x395 mm; 17½x15½ inches, image. Signed "Steinlen" in lower right corner. Float-mounted to matte and archivally framed to 2½x23½ inches.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
James thurber (1894-1961)
“The Elephant and the Hunter.”
Illustration for the same-titled story published in Thurber’s book “Fables for Our Time” (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1940). Ink on board. 280x210 mm; 11x8½ inches. Unsigned. Matted and framed.
An amusing illustration from humorist Thurber’s book of updated and self-created fables.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Murray tinkelman (1933-2016)
“The Horror in the Museum.”
Cover for the mass market paperback H.P. Lovecraft and Others. The Horror In The Museum and other Revisions (New York: Ballantine Books, 1970). Ink and watercolor on Strathmore bristol board. 407x367 mm; 16x14½ inches. Signed "M. Tinkelman" along image, left. Edges taped to decorative 26x23½-inch matte.
Murray Tinkelman is an award-winning artist who has received illustration’s highest honors from the Society of Illustrators, New York Art Directors Club, and The Society of Publications Designers. His work has appeared in a variety of publications including “Atlantic Monthly,” “Cosmopolitan,” “Ladies Home Journal,” “McCall’s,” “The New York Times,” “The Saturday Evening Post,” and “The Washington Post.” In addition, he has worked for publishers such as Ballantine, Berkley, Doubleday, Putnam, HBJ, Macmillan and Time Life among many others. Tinkelman has also been commissioned by the National Park Service to do drawings and paintings of national parks and monuments, as well as by the U.S. Air Force to be an artist-reporter on specific missions.
Murray Tinkelman’s artwork is represented in the permanent collections of Norman Rockwell Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Delaware Art Museum, New Britain Museum of American Art, and The International Photography Hall of Fame & Museum. He has also had a one-man exhibit of his baseball art at The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York in 1994, and The United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama in 1995.
Provenance: Estate of the artist.
Exhibited: Norman Rockwell Museum: ”Baseball, Rodeos, and Automobiles: The Art of Murray Tinkelman.” 2014.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Murray tinkelman (1933-2016)
Kremlin in troubled times.
Editorial illustration for the article "The Sakharov Memorandum" by Andrei D. Sakharov published in The New York Times August 18, 1972. Ink on Strathmore bristol board. 530x381 mm; 21x15 inches, image, mounted to slightly larger board. Signed and dated "M. Tinkelman `72" in lower right.
This excerpt was taken from the longer article, a human rights appeal by Sakharov, the Soviet academician and Committee of the Rights of Man member, to Leonid I. Brezhnev, written in March of 1971. A tear sheet of the article accompanies the artwork.
Provenance: Estate of the artist.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Murray tinkelman (1933-2016)
Portrait of Native American Al Starr.
Ink on Strathmore Bristol board. 492x345 mm; 19½x13¾ inches, image, mounted to 28x23-inch window matte. Signed "© M. Tinkelman" in
Provenance: Estate of the artist.
Murray Tinkelman is an award-winning artist who has received illustration's highest honors from the Society of Illustrators, New York Art Directors Club, and The Society of Publications Designers. His work has appeared in a variety of publications including "Atlantic Monthly," "Cosmopolitan," "Ladies Home Journal," "McCall's," "The New York Times," "The Saturday Evening Post," and "The Washington Post." In addition, he has worked for publishers such as Ballantine, Berkley, Doubleday, Putnam, HBJ, Macmillan and Time Life among many others.
Tinkelman has also been commissioned by the National Park Service to do drawings and paintings of national parks and monuments, as well as by the U.S. Air Force to be an artist-reporter on specific missions.
Murray Tinkelman's artwork is represented in the permanent collections of Norman Rockwell Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Delaware Art Museum, New Britain Museum of American Art, and The International Photography Hall of Fame & Museum. He has also had a one-man exhibit of his baseball art at The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York in 1994, and The United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama in 1995.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Clarence f. underwood (1871-1929)
“Betty, do stop and look at me a minute. What’s happened? Something’s gone wrong. I’ve felt it all evening.”
Illustration for the story ““I Never Could have Married Anybody Else” by Christine Whiting Parmenter, published in American Magazine, March, 1920, with their label on verso. Gouache on board. 560x762 mm; 22x30 inches. Signed “Clarence F. Underwood” lower right corner.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Clarence f. underwood (1871-1929)
“It was the tone, more than the words, which brought Kennard to the limit of endurance.”
Illustration for the story “Why Violet Kennard Left the Stage” by Holworthy Hall, published in American Magazine, April 1922, with their label on verso. Gouache on board. 508x762 mm; 20x30 inches. Signed “Clarence F. Underwood” lower right corner.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Ed vebell (1921-2018)
“What is the best way to use time?”
Double-page illustration for “They know what time is for” by Loula Grace Erdman, published in the Christian Herald, August 1961. Mixed media, including charcoal and pencil on paper. 270x650 mm; 10¾x25½ inches, on 14¾x27-inch sheet. Signed “Ed Vebell” in lower right image. Hinged to board; matted and framed. A printed tear sheet of the illustration, a signed Christmas card from the artist to the Tippits, and an October 13, 2010 Westport News newspaper clipping discussing the honoring of Vebell at the Westport Arts Awards accompany the lot.
Provenance: Estate of William F. Brown and Tina Tippit Brown.
Estimate
$250 – $350
Elihu vedder (1836-1923)
“Simple Simon, His Book.”
Hand-calligraphed and illustrated unpublished manuscript titled "Simple Simon, his Book / by Elihu Vedder - his Mark 1913" [cover title]. Cover and contents unbound. Mixed media including ink, graphite, gouache, watercolor, and colored pencil. Illustrated front and rear covers (paper over board, versos also illustrated);10 leaves of preliminaries including printing notes, tables of contents, dedication, half-title, and a few page mock-up; 37 pages of calligraphed rhyming verse with illustrations and decorative borders. Most pages marked and dated "Capri 1912" often with "Sept" or "Oct" added, along with notes; almost all with written color indications initialed by him (i.e. "orange & green / V." Oblong folio, the sheets measuring 210x310 mm; 12¼x8¼ inches.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Sigismunds vidbergs (1890-1970)
Untitled; nude
Illustration for an unknown publication. Pen and ink on stiff paper. 270x190 mm; 10½x7½ inches, image, on 20x15-inch sheet. Signed " S. Vidsbergs - 1963" in ink, lower right image.
Latvian artist Sigismunds Vidbergs was encouraged early on by his teachers to pursue art, leading him to study at the Saint Petersburg Art and Industry Academy. With specialities in stained and painted glass, as well as graphic design, he taught art through World War I, and later returned to Latvia where he exhibited his own artwork. Influenced by artists such as Beardsley and Vallotton, Vidbergs' costume designs and erotic illustrations in particular, evoke the graceful, curvilinear details of Beardsley and the boldness of Vallotton's prints. This fasionable, whimsical poster displays Vidbergs' indelible sense of graphic patterns, negative space, and composition.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Harold von schmidt (1893-1982)
World War I battle scene.
Illustration for an unidentified war story. 1919. Oil on canvas. 763x763 mm; 30x30 inches, on original stretcher. Signed “Harold von Schmidt 1919” in lower right image, rear with partially legible caption “Part XIII . . . “Ugly Howitzers Posed . . .”
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Gerda wegener (1886-1940)
Musical harem.
Illustration of a quintet of female musicians in an Indian palace, from an unknown publication. Pen and ink on paper. 90x160 mm; 3½x6¼ inches. Signed "Gerda Wegener" in lower right margin. Circa 1920.
The Danish illustrator and painter Gerda Wegener moved to Paris in 1912 and quickly became known for the superb artistry of her fashion and lifestyle illustrations and advertisements (see lots 19 and 20) in Vogue, La Vie Parisienne, Fantasion, La Guirlande, and many other Parisian magazines. Her style was marked by a playful sensuality though her book illustrations and fine art displayed more highly erotic, mainly Sapphic themes.
Her personal life received scrutiny when her spouse and muse, Lili Elbe, also a painter, who went by the name Einer Wegener, became the first woman to undero gender confirmation surgery and became a critical figure in the LGBTQ community. Elbe stopped painting shortly thereafter and eventually died of complications after a fourth surgery. In 2000, a novel based loosely on their lives was published and turned into a feature -length film, The Danish Girl in 2015.
Wegener's work remains among the best of the Art Deco period, especially in light of her sucess as a female artist amid her more famous male contemporaries such as Barbier, Brunelleschi, Lepape, and Martin.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Charles wrenn (1880-1952)
Prisoner’s journey.
Likely an intended cover for The Danger Trail> magazine, circa 1920s. Oil on canvas. 680x485 mm; 26¾x19 inches. Signed “C. L. Wrenn” in lower right corner. Framed to 31x24 inches. Professionally cleaned.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Nicky zann (1943-2020)
“Santa Fe Style.”
Original art for poster to promote Santa Fe tourism, 1989. Graphite, India ink and markers on Bristol board paper, 475x660 mm; 18¾x26 inches, image, on 21x28-inch sheet. Signed Nicky Zann, lower left image and ©Nicky Zann 1989 in lower center image.
Zann was a New York-based artist whose career spanned five decades and reached far and wide across New York's pop and culture scene. Recognized as one of the most innovative and prolific cartoonists and illustrators of his generation, Zann's work has appeared in magazines such as Newsweek, Esquire, Fortune; daily newspapers such as The New York Times; and in comics and on mystery covers. His celebrity caricatures have been featured in ads for ABC, MTV, CBS and NBC networks, as well as for HBO. In the early 1970s, the Disney Corporation endorsed Zann to draw Disney characters, all personally approved by Roy Disney. His work has been exhibited around the world including at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Textile Museum in the Netherlands.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Nicky zann (1943-2020)
“Doo-Wop.”
Graphite, India ink and markers on Bristol board paper. 430x583 mm; 23x17x23 inches, image, on 20x26-inch sheet. Signed and dated “©Nicky Zann ‘81” lower left image.
Modeled after the 1960s vocal group, The Temptations, who were significant in the evolution of R&B and soul music and noted for, among other things, their style of dress.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Theater, Costume, Film & Fashion
(ann-margret) b. morgen (pseud. of glen fortune banse 1948-2018
Portrait of actress Ann-Margret.
Mixed media with gouache on Bainbridge board. 378x508 mm; 30¼x20 inches. Signed “B. Morgen” in lower right image.
Morgen was a prolific art publisher who was also an accomplished painter, mainly of celebrities with whom he worked throughout his career. In this vibrant image of the famous American entertainer, he captured the dazzle of both her fiery spirit and sparkling jewelry.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Edouardo garcía benito (1891-1981)
“Dentelle.”
Illustration for Vogue, 1923. Watercolor and India ink heightened with white and silver, on paper. 383x283 mm; 15¼ x11¼ inches. Signed in lower right image. Tipped to window matte and framed. Provenance: Acquired from the artist. Exhibited: “Benito Retrospective,” The New York Cultural Center, New York, 1974.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Eugene berman (1899-1972)
“Juliet Nightgown.”
Costume design for the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” which premiered April 1943 at The New York Metropolitan Opera House, Ballet Theatre. Ink and gouache on paper. 317x230 mm; 12½x9 inches, sheet. Titled “Romeo & Juliet” in ink by Berman in top margin, captioned “Juliet Nightgown,” initialed “E.B,” and dated 1943 below figure along bottom. Cornered to original stiff paper mount; matted and framed.
Provenance: collection of the artist; the Ness Oleson Trust. The late Frannie Ness and Gary Oleson were the proprietors of Waiting for Godot Books of Hadley, MA, which specialized in rare American and English books.
The ballet, based on William Shakespeare’s play with music by Prokofiev was orchestrated by Antal Dorati and Frederick Delius, and with choreography by Antony Tudor.
“Tudor’s interpretation of the ill-fated love story by William Shakespeare remains the only ballet version of Romeo and Juliet presented in one act. One of the most shocking memories of Romeo and Juliet is the fact that Tudor could not finish this forty-five minute epic by the date of the premiere. A finished version was presented four days after the premiere. Of note is the story of how the costumes and sets were designed: ‘I originally wanted sets and costumes by Salvador Dali because I had conceived the décor in terms of Fra Angelico and Dali handles those notions very well. However Dali’s ideas did not harmonize with mine.’ Eugene Berman eventually was brought on and he designed the scenery and costumes by drawing inspiration from Renaissance paintings, notably by Botticelli. The designs were a success with both the audience and critics.”-from The Ballets of Antony Tudor by Judith Chazin-Bennahum, antonytudor.org.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Metrodoro conti (1810-1887)
Five scenic designs for Giovanni Pacini’s opera “Saffo.”
Scenes include Greek temples, courtyards, churches, architectural circuses. “Saffo” was first performed at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on November 29, 1840. Watercolor, graphite, and ink. Initialed “C.M. into” [invento] in lower left, captioned in lower margins, and number inked in upper right. General sheet size 223x295 mm; 8¾x11¾ inches. Tipped to early window mattes.
Metrodoro Conti was a set designer and theater manager for the Teatro Petrarca in Arezzo, Tuscany in the 1830s to the 1860s. He was a contemporary of Pietro Bertoja, who also created stage designs.
Saffo, the dramatic opera based on the legend of the ancient Greek poet Sappho, was set to a libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, and based on the play by Austrian dramatist Franz Grillparzer.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Metrodoro conti (1810-1887)
Group of 8 scenic designs for Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Nabucco.”
Designs include Temples of Solomon and Babylonia, courtyards, palace interiors, among others. Nabucco, with music by Verdi set to a libreto by Temistocle Solera, was performed at La Scala, Milan on March 9, 1842 in four acts and seven scenes. Watercolor, graphite, and ink. Initialed “C.M. into” [invento] in lower left, captioned in lower margins, and number inked in upper right. General sheet size 223x295 mm; 8¾x11¾ inches. Tipped to early window mattes.
Metrodoro Conti was a set designer and theater manager for the Teatro Petrarca in Arezzo, Tuscany in the 1830s to the 1860s. He was a contemporary of Pietro Bertoja, who also created stage designs for Verdi.
Nabucco is considered to be Verdi’s first commercially successful opera.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Metrodoro conti (1810-1887)
Group of 14 Italian scenic designs, mostly Roman and Venetian views.
Designs include palace interiors, fountains, piazzas, courtyards, galleries and lush interiors, among other settings. Watercolor, graphite, and ink. Initialed “C.M. into” [invento] in lower left, captioned in lower margins, and number inked in upper right. General sheet size 223x295 mm; 8¾x11¾ inches. All but four tipped to early window mattes.
Metrodoro Conti was a set designer and theater manager for the Teatro Petrarca in Arezzo, Tuscany in the 1830s to the 1860s. He was a contemporary of Pietro Bertoja, who also created stage designs for Verdi.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Jean dupas (1882-1964)
Portrait of woman with tropical bird.
Illustration for unknown purpose; possibly for an advertisement or a fine art portrait. Graphite and wash on paper mounted to board along margins. 470x444 mm; 18½x17¼ inches, image; sheet measures 22½x19½ inches on slightly larger board. Signed and dated “Jean Dupas 1932” in lower right corner.
A beautiful portrait of a fetching woman in the Art Deco master’s characteristic Mannerist style.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Alexandra Exter (1882-1949)
Stage design for “Romeo and Juliet.”
Created for the 1921 performance of the ballet, based on William Shakespeare's play, at Alexander Tairov's Kamerny (Chamber) Theatre. Gouache on paper. 190x242 mm; 7½x9½ inches, full sheet. Signed on verso. Float-mounted in archival frame allowing for signature to show and provenance labels mounted to verso (15½x17½ inches).
Provenance: Walter F. Maibaum Fine Arts; Rosa Esman Gallery (their label with certification by Alma Law, Professor of History of Drama, Columbia University, New York); private collection, New York.
Born to a Belarusian father and Greek mother, Exter was one of the greatest set and costume designers of her generation. Her painting studio in Kyiv was a center for Ukraine's artists and intelligentsia. She joined the Russian avant-garde and often exhibited her work abroad. As an avowed Cubo-Futurist, she at first embraced the Russian Revolution but emigrated to Paris in 1924 where she established herself as an important Art Deco artist. While still in Soviet Russia, she aligned herself with director Alexander Tairov and Moscow's experimental Kamerny Theater.
Her radical use of stage space is evident in the last of her three Constructivist stage designs for this theater for Romeo and Juliet that opened on May 17, 1921.''In both the play and paintings there are interpenetrating diagonal networks of bars and wedges; in the play these relationships can be read as the visual equivalent to the tangled intrigues in this adapted translation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. The different levels of the vertical set were transformed into whatever scenic location was required by the addition or subtraction of curtains. So Exter showed how, in a flash, the outdoor fight scene could become the indoor ball scene" (Ronny H. Cohen, "Alexandra Exter's Designs for the Theater," Artforum, Summer 1981, p. 49).
Estimate
$10,000 – $15,000
(harvard/agassiz theater)
“1920 presents `Mice and Men’ in Agassiz Theater.”
Contemporary advertisement for the theater’s 1920 production of the 1903 Broadway play by Madeleine Lucette Reyley (also adapted as the 1916 silent romance film directed by J. Searle Dawley). Ink and watercolor on board. Verso signed “F. Speyers `20 / 27 March 1917.”
A charming broadside for the March 30th and 31st performance for which the artist used little black mice as apostrophes and quotation marks, and a hieroglyphic clock for the hour.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Al hirschfeld (1903-2003)
“Time of the Cuckoo.”
Illustration for the 1952 Broadway production at the Empire Theatre, published in The New York Times, December 21,1952. Pen and ink on board. 559x626 mm; 22x24¾ inches. Signed “Hirschfeld” in ink, lower right image and captioned by him across top: “José Perez - Shirley Booth - Dino DiLuca - Lydia St. Clair - “The Time of the Cuckoo”–Empire Theatre.” and with numerous printer’s marks in graphite in margins above and below the caption. Mounted to board and matte resembling Margo Feiden Gallery framing materials.
“Time of the Cuckoo” ran for 263 performances and won Shirley Booth the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for 1952.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Al hirschfeld (1903-2003)
Sweeney Todd.
Illustration for the 1979 original Broadway production of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" at the Uris Theatre, published in The New York Times, February 25, 1979. Pen and ink on board with graphite sketching, 1979. 483x737 mm; 19x29 inches. Signed "Hirschfeld 5" in ink, lower right, and title and cast list in Hirschfeld's hand along top edge: "Upper L. to R. Sarah Rice, Victor Garber - Lower L. to R. Joaquin Romaguera, Len Cariou (Title Role), Angela Lansbury, Jack Eric Williams and Edmund Lyndeck in Sweeney Todd at the Uris Theater." Archivally matted and framed to 2x32 inches.
Provenance: Margo Feiden Galleries, Ltd; Martin Richards; gifted by Richards to current owner.
Accompanying the lot is a bound copy of the score, presented to the show's producers, Martin Richards and Mary Lea Johnson, as a memento by the printers, Chelsea Music Service, Inc., and signed by six of its staff members.
With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, direction by Harold Prince and an all-star cast, Sweeney Todd was a tour-de-force of Broadway talent. It swept the Tony Awards for 1979 winning eight Bests including Musical, Original Score, Actor, Actress, Direction, Best Book of a Musical, Scenic Design and Costume. It went on to receive an additional nine Drama Desk Awards.
Hirschfeld illustrated his first Sondheim musical in 1957 with West Side Story. Though he had been drawing the American Theatre for more than thirty years by then, he went on to record the next half-century of Sondheim on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in films. Hirschfeld captured almost all of his Broadway shows and few of the films he scripted or scored. Sondheim was himself a Hirschfeld collector, acquiring show drawings either directly from the artist or through his friends and collaborators like Hal Prince. In his last interview, just five days before his death, the times included a photo of Sondheim with an image of Hirschfeld’s Putting it Together in the background.
"While the two men were quite different, Hirschfeld would have probably agreed with Sondheim’s quote that 'Content Dictates Form; Less is More; God Is in the Details — all in the service of Clarity, without which nothing else matters.'"--from "Stephen Sondheim: His Career as Seen by Al Hirschfeld," Alhirschfeldfoundation.org. November, 2021.
Estimate
$15,000 – $25,000
Georges lepape (1887-1971)
“Fantasie sur fantaisies / La Farandole.”
Illustration published as a two-page spread in Femina , January 1, 1914. Gouache with graphite on paper. 280x495 mm; 11x19½ inches, on 14¾x22¼-inch sheet. Signed and dated “Georges Lepape 1913” lower right image. Tipped to mount and framed to 23x29½ inches, retaining original frame backing with remnants of early exhibition labels.
Provenance: Private collection, New Hampshire.
Exhibited: The Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, 1915, item 154.
The partial label on the framing verso displays the painting’s given descriptive title “La Farandole.” The ball shows a contemporary French/Italian version of the famous dance, with Pierrot, Harlequin, Persian Prince and Princess, and other iconic characters.
Estimate
$20,000 – $30,000
Georges lepape (1887-1971)
Two fashion studies for “Gazette du Bon Ton.”
Primary sketch of a woman in long coat, fur collar and cuffs. Watercolor, graphite, and gold paint on paper. 223x185 mm; 8¾x7¼ inches, sheet. Signed “Lepape” in pencil, lower right image and captioned by him in lower margin: “Octobre 1912 / esquisse pour le Hors-Texte no. 1 paru dans le 1er No. de la ‘Gazette du Bon Ton.’” Labeled on verso in French as sketch published in “Bon Ton No. I (nov 1912) hors texte no. I (esquisse).”
Second image in graphite, ink, and watercolor. 8¾x7¼ inches, sheet. Unsigned.
Provenance: Tajan, Paris, 2007; private collection, Philadelphia.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Georges lepape (1887-1971)
Woman reading letter.
Pencil and gouache on paper, circa 1930. 140x140 mm; 5½x5½ inches, sight-size. Signed Georges Lepape in pencil, lower left image. Matted and framed to 17¼x18¼ inches.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Georges lepape (1887-1971)
Femme nue allongée.
Group of 21 sketches of a nude reclining woman, most likely studies for an advertisement campaign, circa 1930s. Graphite on hole-punched onion skin paper, one tipped to window matte. 216x280 mm; 8½x11 inches, sheets. Unsigned.
Provenance: Private collection of Lepape in France; current owner.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Antonio lopez (1943-1987)
Pat Cleveland modeling Bill Blass and Jacques Tiffeau in “Spring on Seventh Avenue.”
Published in the editorial "Spring on Seventh Avenue" in New York Magazine, February 1969. Mixed media with marker, ink, and colored pencil. 610x458 mm; 24x18 inches, sheet. Unsigned, but with editorial markings in margins. Tipped to window matte.
The editorial featured Antonio models Donna Mitchell and Pat Cleveland wearing Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Jacques Tiffeau, Mollie Parnis, Geoffrey Beene, John Moore, and Chuck Howard. The article heralded the new season: "Fashion Editor Caterine Milinaire and artist Antonio toured Seventh Avenue's spring collections and together picked out some of the most salient themes for the next season. The Jumpsuit, Wrapped and Bared, The Return to Classics, Jumper and Shirt, The Dress Over Pants Re-Aligned."
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Antonio lopez (1943-1987)
Green lingerie / Chandrika Casali.
Study for editorial “Linges Légers, Gestes Libres” featuring model Chandrika Casali, published in 20 Ans, July 1973. Graphite and colored pencil on paper. 300x227 mm; 11¾x9 inches, on 15¼x11½-inch sheet. Signed “A Aubade - Antonio” along top margin. Tipped to window matte.
Estimate
$3,500 – $5,000
James mcmullan (1934-)
“Rehearsal Chairs.”
Study for the Lincoln Center Theater mural for the 65th Street entrance, 1994. Watercolor with hand-lettering in gouache on paper. 140x635 mm; 5½x25 inches on 8¼x27-inch sheet. Signed “McMullan `90” in lower right image and with artist’s label on frame verso. Tipped to window matte and framed to 14x33 inches.
In 1990, McMullan used this image to create a sixty-foot mural on the 65th Street entry hall to the Vivian Beaumont and Mitzi Newhouse Theatres at Lincoln Center.
McMullan’s illustrations have appeared in Esquire, Rolling Stone, Time, and New York Magazine. Since 1986 he has been the lead designer and principal artist for the Lincoln Center Theaters and has created nearly one hundred of their iconic posters.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Jo mielziner (1901-1976)
“Finian’s Rainbow.”
Scenic design for a the 1947 Broadway production of “Finian’s Rainbow” directed by Bretaigne Windust at the 46th Street Theatre. Gouache, watercolor, ink, and wash on paper. 130x250 mm; 5x10 inches, sight size, on 7x10-inch sheet; cornered to original matte which is signed and inscribed by Mielziner to conductor and composer Morton Gould: “with the admiration & affection of Jo Mielziner 1950.” Original simple wood frame.
Provenance: The artist, gifted to Morton Gould; Private Collection, Long Island, New York.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Anthony nellé (1894-1977)
“Shine Ladies Shine.”
Design for stage production. Mixed media with watercolor and gouache on board. 375x495 mm; 14¾x19½ inches, sight size. Numbered and captioned “195 - R. - Shine Ladie’s [sic] -“ in lower left margin and with artist’s stamp on verso, seen through window on frame verso. Matted and framed.
Provenance: Jeffrey Thier Fine Arts, Buffalo, New York; private collection.
Anthony Nellé was a ballet dancer trained at the Russian Imperial School of the Grand Opera. He danced in Poland, Russia and England, and joined ballerina Anna Pavlova’s company, which brought him to the United States. By 1926, Nellé began work as a choreographer and he later became a production designer for theaters in Detroit, St. Louis, San Francisco, Hollywood, and Europe. His extraordinary art deco stage designs of the 1920s and 1930s were often compared to the costume designs of Erté. In the last decades of his life, he and his wife, Margaret Donaldson, opened a small dance studio in her hometown of Gowanda.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Kay nielsen (1886-1957)
Leaping sprite.
Costume design for an unidentified production, quite possibly “The Rite of Spring,” circa 1920. Graphite and watercolor on paper. 5x3½ inches, image, on 10x6½-inch sheet.
Provenance: Sotheby’s London, March 21, 1979; private collection, Midwest.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Norman norell (1900-1972)
“Proposed costume for Gloria Swanson in Zaza-1922.”
Gouache, watercolor, and graphite on paper. 22x15 inches, sheet. Signed “Norell” and captioned with title above in lower right corner.
Known professionally as Norman Norell, Norman David Levinson was an American fashion designer renowned for his timeless and elegant couture which he sold throught his Traina-Norell and Norell fashion houses. A pioneer in the industry, he became the first American fashion designer to launch his own brand of perfume (in 1968), was the first recipient of the American Fashion Critics’ Award (later known as the Coty Award), and the first designer inducted into the fashion industry critics’ Hall of Fame.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Norman norell (1900-1972)
Two fashion studies for African-American model or actress.
Together, two fashion studies, circa 1920s. Gouache, watercolor, and ink on board. 546x381 mm; 21½x15 inches. Signed “Norell” in pencil, lower right. Captioned “Leopard skin/Monkey fur/Long quills/Poison green velvet/Coat lined with purple satin.” * “Red Flannel/Black & White Taffeta/White Fox Muff/Black Tails/Silk hat-silver buckle.”
Known professionally as Norman Norell, Norman David Levinson was an American fashion designer renowned for his timeless and elegant couture which he sold throught his Traina-Norell and Norell fashion houses. A pioneer in the industry, he became the first American fashion designer to launch his own brand of perfume (in 1968), was the first recipient of the American Fashion Critics’ Award (later known as the Coty Award), and the first designer inducted into the fashion industry critics’ Hall of Fame.
Estimate
$1,000 – $2,000
Norman norell (1900-1972)
“Costume for the Tropics * Spanish skirt.
Together, two fashion studies, circa 1920s. Gouache, watercolor, and ink on paper. 22x15 inches, sheets. Signed “Norell” in pencil, lower right.
Known professionally as Norman Norell, Norman David Levinson was an American fashion designer renowned for his timeless and elegant couture which he sold throught his Traina-Norell and Norell fashion houses. A pioneer in the industry, he became the first American fashion designer to launch his own brand of perfume (in 1968), was the first recipient of the American Fashion Critics’ Award (later known as the Coty Award), and the first designer inducted into the fashion industry critics’ Hall of Fame.
Estimate
$1,000 – $2,000
Thelma terrell (1910-1993)
Art Deco lady in large collar.
Charcoal on Bristol board. 320x220 mm; 12¾x8½ on 15x11-inch sheet. Signed “T. Terrell” in lower right image. Cornered to matte.
Terrell lived and worked as a professional illustrator and graphic designer in Oakland, California in the 1930s and 40s.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Thelma terrell (1910-1993)
Fashion drawing of a woman in layered coat.
Graphite on paper. 313x140 mm; 12½x5½ inches, sheet. Signed “Terrell” lower right. Tipped to matte and float-mounted; framed to 21½x14 inches.
Terrell lived and worked as a professional illustrator and graphic designer in Oakland, California in the 1930s and 40s.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Thelma terrell (1910-1993)
Group of three Art Deco designs for clothing and accessories.
Gloves * Shirts * Shoes. Likely intended as advertisements or store displays, 1930s. Ink and watercolor on board. Various sizes, the largest (“Gloves”) measuring 330x253 mm; 13x10 inches, sight size. Signed in lower images. Each matted and framed; “Gloves” to 22½x19, the others to 21x17 inches.
A charming trio of Art Deco-style advertisements. Terrell lived and worked as a professional illustrator and graphic designer in Oakland, California in the 1930s and 40s.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
(warner brothers studios / david negron 1935-)
“The Skin Game.” Group of 4 film set designs.
Gouache on board. Average size 460x890 mm; 18x35 inches and the fourth, 21x35 inches, image. Each framed to roughly 23x40 inches, with original Warner Bros. label excised and taped to frame verso. A poster of the film accompanies the lot.
Skin Game was a 1971 film starring James Garner, Lou Gossett Jr., Ed Asner, and Susan Clark, directed by Paul Bogart. The story takes place in 1857, as con man Quincy Drew and his African-American friend Jason O’Rourke swindle slave owners into buying Jason, who’s a free man, and later share the profits when Jason escapes captivity. Hollywood’s take on the hypocrisy of slavery and interracial friendship.
The scenes depicted include: Calloway Home (interior), Calloway Ranch (exterior), Countryside, Missouri, and the largest of the four, Saloon, Bitter End (interior).
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Cartoons, Including 'The New Yorker'
Charles addams (1912-1988)
Fester watering his windowbox gravesite flowers.
Personal illustration inscribed and Signed for admirer Robert Marx, 1957. 290x220 mm; 11¼x8¾ inches, sight size, inlaid to size in a paper window matte. Inscribed “To Robert Marx with very best wishes and thanks for a most encouraging letter / Chas Addams / New York 1957.” Accompanied by original letter-sized mailing envelope from Addams to Marx (in Berlin, Germany).
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Charles addams (1912-1988)
Rack Wreck.
Possibly unpublished cartoon. Ink and wash on paper. 110x410 mm; 4¼x16¼ inches. Signed “Chas Addams” in lower right corner; sheet rough-clipped, tipped at edges to mount, matted and framed to 12x23½ inches.
Provenance: From the estate of New Yorker cartoonist Frank Modell.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Reginald birch (1856-1943)
“Joggerfy”-Digging to China.
Unpublished cartoon, circa early 1900s. Ink on illustration paper. 381x290 mm; 15x11½ inches, sheet.
The piece is titled “Joggerfy” (a child’s version of “Geography”), and features the perennial childhood fantasy of digging hole to / from China. The verso bears a note indicating is was not published.
Birch is best known for his pictures for Francis Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy, that started a fashion craze.
Estimate
$250 – $350
R.o. blechman (1930-)
“If people don’t swat you . . . then something else happens.”
Illustration for Blechman’s popular book Franklin the Fly (Mankato, MN: Creative Editions, 2007). Watercolor, pen and ink on paper. 215x280 mm; 8½x11 inches, sheet. Signed “R.O. Blechman,” lower right.
A charming image from the award-winning illustrator’s uplifting book about a persevering and optimistic fly.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Buck brown (1936-2007)
“This is about a dynamic young commodities broker…”
Proposed cartoon for Playboy magazine, 1983, with their stamps and notations in the margins. Acrylic on board with Brown’s manuscript caption in the margins. 515x381 mm; 20¼x15 inches, board. Signed “Buck Brown” along lower right edge; tipped to backing board with original tissue overlay and a Typed Letter Signed by Playboy’s cartoon editor, Michelle Urry, sending the artwork back to Brown with regrets that it was not accepted for publication [by senior editors], 1 8vo page, 9 February 1983. Framed with captioned window matte.
The full caption reads: “This is about a dynamic young commodities broker, his speculative ventures, his search for investment opportunities and the heartbreak of an uncertain world money market and runaway inflation. Ain’t nothin’ but the Blues . . .”
Estimate
$500 – $750
Harrison cady (1877-1970)
“Make plenty exposures, Lieutenant . . .”
Cartoon published in LIFE magazine, published October 11, 1917. Pen and ink on Bristol board. 430x75 mm; 17x22¾ inches, image, on 22½x27-inch sheet. Signed “Harrison Cady” in center right image; typed caption label on verso.
The full published caption reads: “Submarine Captain: `Make plenty exposures, Lieutenant. Dose photos will be just der thing to prove to our folks in der Faderland that we have conquered der world and that we Germans are everywhere, even in der Arctics.’”
Literature: Violet and Denis Kitchen, Madness in Crowds, The Teeming Mind of Harrison Cady, Beehive Books, 2019. Page 76.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
(cartoons)
Small collection of 20th century cartoonist’s signatures, letters, and a few doodles.
Includes clipped signatures of about 15 cartoonists including Charles Addams, Constantin Alajalov, Anthony Cardoso, Jules Feiffer, Chester Gould, Bill Hanna, Mike Peters, and a quartet of First Day covers for the 175th anniversary of The Bill of Rights, signed by artist/illustrator Herb Block * an ink drawing of Hagar the Horrible signed by Dik Browne, and a group of 6 typed letters signed and a Wester Union telegraph between Gene Byrnes, L. S. Levy of the Oakland Tribune, and W. L. Wardell of Famous Features Syndicate, Inc., discussing Byrnes’ daily and Sunday strip “Reg’lar Fellers” and its marketing (California, 1925-32)
Estimate
$500 – $750
Mel cummin (1895-1980) comics
“Governors Island in the Future.”
Editorial cartoon for an unidentified publication, likely the New York Sunday American or other New York publication, circa 1930. Pen and ink on Bristol board. 373x585 mm; 14¾x23 inches, sheet. Signed “Mel Cummin” in lower right image; captioned in blue crayon, upper margin, and editorial notations in lower margin.
The cartoon depicts then-Congressman Fiorello LaGuardia’s campaign to turn Governors Island, by then a defunct and run-down Army post an airport. Likely based on this: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/governors-island-airport-wasn-article-1.417383
Estimate
$400 – $600
Jack davis (1924-2016)
“Take me to your leader.”
Original cartoon for Playboy, published February 1959, with their stamp in upper margin. Subsequently reproduced in Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture, A Career Retrospective by Jack Davis and William Stout (Seattle, Wash.: Fantagraphics, 2011), page 127 and Playboy Cartoon Klassiker by Thomas Buchsteiner and Otto Letze (Osfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz, 2000), page 28. Watercolor over graphite on board. 330x265 mm; 13x10¼ inches, on 17¾x15-inch board. Signed “Jack Davis” in lower right image. Taped to matte that has caption written in letter stickers; archivally framed.
Exhibited: Travelling exhibition through Germany, “Cartoon Klassiker,” 1999, p. 28.
Provenance: Christie’s “Playboy at 50” sale, December 16, 2003, lot 31; private collection.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
(dogs / (1980s pop art )
Group of three illustrations of dogs in various activities.
Amusing group of fun and colorful illustrations for an unidentified story: “Fancy Grooming” * “Gourmet Dining” * “Dog Reviewing His Astrological Sign.” Images measure 8x12 inches on 14x17-inch boards. Unsigned but numbered along the top edge, implying published pages.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Fritz eichenberg (1901-1990)
“Can’t We Find a Common Basis for a Gentleman’s Agreement?”
World War II political cartoon for an unknown publication, featuring Hirohito, Roosevelt, Mussolini, Chamberlain, and . Pen and ink on wove paper, circa 1940. 400x320 mm; 157x12⅝ inches, image, on 19¾x14½-inch sheet. Signed “Fritz Eichenberg” in ink, lower left, and titled in ink, lower margin. Tipped to window matte and framed.
Estimate
$600 – $900
John held, jr. (1889-1958)
“For a Small House.”
Illustration published on page 72 of Saturday to Monday, by Newman Levy, illustrated by Held (New York: Knopf, 1930). Pen and ink on paper. 165x260 mm; 6½x10¼ inches, image, on 11¾x7-inch board. Not signed. Tipped to matte and framed to 17¼x14 inches.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Charles léandre (1862-1934)
M. Émile Zola et la Jeunesse / “Le Romipète.”
Caricature of Zola published in Le Rire, February 22, 1896. Charcoal heightened with white wash on paper mounted to board, attached to early window matte. 488x317 mm; 19¼x12½ inches. Signed “C Léandre” in lower left corner and rough-captioned by hand, upper right. Contemporary label by Parisian art dealer A. Legastelois on mount verso. A copy of the journal accompanies the artwork.
This drawing, by the celebrated French illustrator, caricaturist and painter, Charles Léandre, depicts Zola after he was refused admittance to meet the Pope. The published version adds the caption, “Let them berate us: it will only add to the circulation” (trans.) referring to Zola’s forthcoming publication that same year of his novel “Rome”.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Charles léandre (1862-1934)
Joseph Prudhomme / Death at the Wheel.
Caricature of Prudhomme, likely published in Le Rire, 1904. Charcoal and white wash on paper, mounted to board. 490x435 mm; 19¼x17¼ inches. Signed and dated “C. Léandre 1904” in upper left image. Exhibited/Provenance: P. Navez, Paris / Exposition de Bruxelles, with printed and manuscript label on verso.
The plump, foolish and sententious bourgeois Monsieur Prudhomme appeared in several of Henry Monnier’s plays, in which he himself portrayed his creation. Later Prudhomme was borrowed for plays by such illustrious authors as Balzac, Verlaine, Sacha Guitry, et al.
In this caricature, Léandre portrays Prudhomme enjoying the speed of the automobile, oblivious to the carnage he is wreaking.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Don martin (1931-2000)
“Early One Evening in Atlantic City.” MAD magazine #196.
Complete one-page story, “10th Annual Undertakers Convention,” published in Mad Magazine #196 (E.C. Publications, 1978). Ink on Bristol board, Rubylith shading overlay on verso. 583x440 mm; 23x17¼ inches. Signed “D. Martin” lower right, captioned at bottom left.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Don martin (1931-2000)
“One Late Afternoon in South Dakota. MAD Magazine #196.
Complete one-page story published in MAD Magazine #196 (E.C. Publications, 1978). Ink on Bristol board, Rubylith shading overlay taped loosely over image. 583x440 mm; 23x17¼ inches. Signed “D. Martin” lower right, captioned lower left margin.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Don martin (1931-2000)
“One Evening in a Hollywood Studio.” MAD Magazine #197.
Complete one-page story published in MAD Magazine #197 (E.C. Publications, 1978). Ink on Bristol board with collaged printed voice bubbles, Rubylith shading overlay taped loosely to verso. 547x450 mm; 21½x17¾ inches. Signed “D. Martin” lower right, captioned lower left margin.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Don martin (1931-2000)
“One Afternoon in an American Home.” MAD Magazine #197.
Complete one-page story published in MAD Magazine #197 (E.C. Publications, 1978). Ink on Bristol board, Rubylith shading overlay taped loosely over image. 558x457 mm; 22x18 inches. Signed “D. Martin” lower right, captioned lower left margin.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Shaw mccutcheon (1921-2016)
Uncle Sam giving Fidel Castro a cigar.
Pen and ink on illustration paper. 18x14½ inches, sheet. Signed “Shaw McCutcheon” in ink, lower left.Political cartoon created on the occasion of the United States’ ban on Cuban cigars, which was included in the trade embargo and signed into law by President John F. Kennedy on February 7th 1962. Famously, the President secured a large stockpile of Cuban cigars for himself in anticipation of the embargo.
Estimate
$500 – $750
(political cartoon)
My Weekly Reader political cartoon.
The winning entry for the My Weekly Reader political cartoon contest, circa 1930. Pen and ink on paper. 210x280 mm; 8¼x11 inches, sheet. Unsigned.
Notes on verso indicate it was created circa 1932 by two high school-aged siblings, with art by Lena Lewis and concept by John Lewis. At the time, the various versions My Weekly Reader had a combined circulation of over one million (the educational newspaper is still in published today as Weekly Reader). The cartoon shows the World in bed dreaming of “Sweet Gentle Peace”, while hornets labeled as Germany, Japan and Russia sneak in the window, and the Balkans (represented by a rat) light matches. The notes also state that the published caption read: “How Long Will He Lie Sleeping?”
Estimate
$300 – $400
Kurt schnurr [paul kirchner] (20th century)
Golgotha.
Illustration published in Screw magazine, Issue 400, November 1, 1976, page 29, with their stamp on verso. Pen, ink, tempera, and correction fluid on Bristol paper. 561x445 mm; 22x17½ inches. Signed “Paul `Kurt Schnurr’ Kirchner” in ink, lower right, and with his contact information in graphite on verso. A tear sheet from the magazine accompanies the artwork.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Barbara shermund (1899-1978)
Tunnel of Love / “Mr. Dillon, I’d like to ask your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Cartoon published in Sunday Pictorial Review, August 9, 1953. Watercolor and ink on paper, 344x240 mm; 13½x9½ inches, sheet. Signed “Shermund” in lower left image, captioned in pencil in lower margin. Tipped to matte and framed to 21x17 inches.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Edward sorel (1929-)
The Death of Uncle Sam (after Benjamin West).
Ink on paper. 400x336 mm; 15¾x13¼ inches. Signed and dated “Edward Sorel `73” in lower right corner. Matted and framed. Provenance: Graham Gallery, New York; Capricorn Galleries, Bethesda The Philip Desind Collection, Bethesda1973; Christie’s New York, 2007; private collection.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Edward sorel (1929-)
“Henry Kissinger on the Road.”
Cartoon printed in Superpen: The Cartoons and Caricatures of Edward Sorel, edited by Lidia Ferrara (New York: Random House, 1978. Pen and wash on paper mounted to board. 470x553 mm; 18½x21¾ inches. Signed and dated “Edward Sorel ‘75” upper left image. Taped to window matte on verso. A copy of “Superpen” accompanies the artwork.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Richard taylor (1902-1970)
Group of three cartoons published in Collier’s magazine.
Ink and wash on board. All signed “R. Taylor” in images” and hand-captioned in lower margins. Measurements given for board size.
“Harvey won’t let me get rid of it. He says that would be tempting fate.” May 27, 1939. 10x15 inches * “I don’t think your men are taking these maneuvers seriously enough, Lieut.” November 4, 1939. 507x381 mm; 20x15 inches * Life ran her picture on the cover and nothing happened!” Undated. 390x510 mm; 15½x20 inches.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
(the new yorker) rea irvin (1881-1972)
Seasonal allergies.
Proposed cover for The New Yorker. Mixed media, including ink and gouache on board. 380x280 mm; 15x11 inches, on 18¾x15-inch board. Signed “Rea Irvin” in lower right image.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
(the new yorker) lee lorenz (1933-)
“Can’t I ever be critical without being accused of criticizing?”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published May 22, 2006, with their label on verso. Ink and wash on paper. 11x14 inches, sheet. Signed “Lorenz” in lower right. A tear sheet of the published cartoon accompanies the artwork.
Estimate
$600 – $900
(the new yorker) lee lorenz (1933-)
“Mime Celebrity Roast.”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published July 28, 2008, with their label on verso. Ink and watercolor with collage on paper. 11x14 inches, sheet. Signed “Lorenz” in lower right image.
Estimate
$600 – $900
(the new yorker) lee lorenz (1933-)
“Wasn’t this planet blue when we came by in ‘47?”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published July 12 and 19, 2010, with their label on verso. Watercolor, ink, and wash on paper. 11x14 inches, sheet. Signed “Lorenz” lower left image.
Estimate
$600 – $900
(the new yorker) charles e. martin (1910-1995)
Modern Art Eggs in a Basket.Cover art.
Cover for The New Yorker published April 13, 1963. Watercolor, gouache, and charcoal on paper. 432x305 mm; 17¼x12¼ inches. Signed “CEM” in lower right image. Matted and framed.
Provenance: The Tobin Group, Inc. (inventory number C77.) with their stamp; Christie’s, New York, 2007; private collection, New York.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
(the new yorker) frank modell (1917-2016)
“I didn’t say the prices were tapering off. I said the increases were tapering off.”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published June 9, 1973. Ink, collage, and correction fluid on paper. 458x242 mm; 18x9½ inches, sheet. Signed “Modell” in lower left image. Diagonal crease to upper portion of image. Hinged to board with window matte.
Estimate
$250 – $350
(the new yorker) frank modell (1917-2016)
“Which is it I can’t abide-sushi or sashimi?”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published June 25, 1984, with their copyright label on verso. Ink, collage, and correction fluid on paper. 280x356 mm; 11x14 inches, on 15¼x15-inch sheet. Signed “Modell” in lower right image. Hinged to board with window matte showing caption and publication date.
Estimate
$300 – $400
(the new yorker) frank modell (1917-2016)
“My old man says your old lady’s a knockout.”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published July 23, 1984, with their copyright label on verso. Ink, collage, and correction fluid on paper. 381x495 mm; 15x19½ inches, sheet. Signed “Modell” in lower right image. See conditon report. Hinged to board with window matte.
Estimate
$200 – $300
(the new yorker ) george price (1901-1995)
”. . . and, what’s more just any old bird won’t do, it’s got to be a Baltimore oriole.”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, with their copyright stamp on verso. Pen and ink with correction fluid on paper. 258x455 mm; 22x17½ inches, sheet. Signed “Geo. Price” in lower right image and captioned in pencil by him, lower margin. Hinged to window matte with calligraphed caption; framed.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
(the new yorker) george price (1901-1995)
“Damn it, Maureen! You just don’t break up a winning combination!”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published December 12, 1990, with their stamp on verso. Ink, blue tint, and correction fluid on paper. 470x419 mm; 18½x16½ inches. Signed “Geo Price” in lower right image and captioned along bottom margin. Matted and framed.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
(the new yorker) mischa richter (1910-2001)
Death and Taxes.
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published April 9, 1990, with their stamp on verso. Pen, ink, and wash on paper. 225x300 mm; 9x11¾ inches. Framed. Signed “Richter” in lower right image.
Ukrainian-American cartoonist Richter was a regular contributor to The New Yorker as well as numerous other magazines and daily newspapers. His early satirical and political work was featured in New Masses in the 1930s when he also created WPA murals. His good friend and classmate at that time was American painter Will Barnet, whose sister Richter married.
Estimate
$400 – $600
(the new yorker) richard taylor (1902-1970)
“So Professor Hadleigh–our paths cross again!”
Cartoon published in The New Yorker, November 12, 1954. Ink and wash on board. 381x431 mm; 15x17 inches (board). Signed “R. Taylor” in lower right. Hinged to captioned window matte.
Estimate
$300 – $400
(the new yorker) richard taylor (1902-1970)
Group of three cartoons.
Unmarked, but most likely published or intended for the New Yorker. Ink, wash, and watercolor on board. All signed “R. Taylor” in image. Measurements given for boards.
“I was standing in line in the bank, waiting to open a Christmas Club account, when suddenly this horrible character rushed up to me and thrust a black satchel full of heaven-knows-what into my hands.” 15x20 inches * “I never did find out what he won this one for.” 18x15½ inches, on slightly larger, captioned matte * “But I don’t WANT to get Europe direct!”
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
(the new yorker) richard taylor (1902-1970)
Group of three war-related cartoons.
Unknown publications, most likely the New Yorker. “The Captain says he’d like the potatoes with the jackets on” * “I certainly wish my family wasn’t so damn sure I’d been sent to iceland.” * “Worried Hitler.” All signed “R. Taylor” 15x19½ but Hitler 12x9 on 18x13-inch board.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
(the new yorker) james thurber (1894-1961)
“Are there any - you know - Cucarachas?”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published September 5, 1936. Ink on paper. 215x278 mm; 8½x11. Signed “James Thurber” lower left and captioned along bottom edge. Hinged to matte and archivally framed with museum glass.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
(the new yorker) james thurber (1894-1961)
“Why don’t they put water in that dust bowl?”
Publication unknown, but most likely for The New Yorker. Ink on paper. 215x278 mm; 8½x11. Signed "James Thurber" lower left and captioned along bottom edge. Hinged to matte and archivally framed with museum glass. Not in Bowden.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Comic Strips
Percy crosby (1891-1964)
“How do you fellers stick it out like this?”
Four-panel Skippy daily comic strip, dated July 15, 1925, with Johnson Features Inc. label in third panel. Ink and blue wash on Bristol board. 165x550 mm; 6½x21¾ inches, sheet. Signed by Crosby in third panel; two small thumbnail sketches of dog on verso.
Percy Crosby’s “Skippy,” one of the most popular comic strips from 1923-1945, inspired Peanuts among many other cartoons. It was said that at its height Crosby’s weekly salary was greater than that of the President of the United States. It was the basis for a highly successful 1931 motion picture comedy of the same name starring Jackie Cooper, who was nominated as Best Actor, the youngest to ever be nominated in that category. The popular peanut butter was named for the famous comic strip character.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Percy crosby (1891-1964)
“Oh, well. We can’t all be Babe Ruths.”
Four-panel Skippy daily comic strip, dated September 2, 1926, with Johnson Features Inc. label in first panel. Ink and blue pencil on Bristol board. 160x550 mm; 6¼x21¾ inches, sheet. Signed by Crosby in last panel.
Percy Crosby’s “Skippy,” one of the most popular comic strips from 1923-1945, inspired Peanuts among many other cartoons. It was said that at its height Crosby’s weekly salary was greater than that of the President of the United States. It was the basis for a highly successful 1931 motion picture comedy of the same name starring Jackie Cooper, who was nominated as Best Actor, the youngest to ever be nominated in that category. The popular peanut butter was named for the famous comic strip character.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Dudley fisher (1890-1951)
“Freddie Gets New Awnings.” Right Around Home, Sunday Comic Strip.
Original “Right Around Home” comic strip, published June 25, 1944, with King Features Syndicate pastedown and stamp on verso. Pen and ink over graphite on Bristol board. 365x530 mm; 14¼x21 inches, sight. Matted to 18x24 inches.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Dudley fisher (1890-1951)
“Too Much Speed.” Right Around Home, Sunday Comic Strip.
Original “Right Around Home” comic strip, published November 11, 1947, with King Features Syndicate pastedown and run stamp on verso. Pen and ink over graphite on Bristol board. 365x530 mm; 14¼x21 inches, sight. Matted to 15x22 inches.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Dudley fisher (1890-1951)
Group of three “Right Around Home with Myrtle” Comic Strips.
Original “Right Around Home” comic strips: two Daily strips published March 21, 1951 and July 4, 1951, measuring 190x546 mm; 7½x21½ inches, sheets, and one large sheet comic dated March 21, 1954, “You Can’t Win!” 373x527 mm; 14¾x20¾ inches, sheet, with King Features Syndicate pastedowns. Pen and ink over graphite on Bristol board. Matted to 19x25 inches.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Chester gould (1900-1985)
“Orphan Nancy!” Group of 10 daily comic strips from 1929.
Pen and ink with blue pencil on Bristol board. 178x572 mm; 7x22½ inches. Each signed "Chester Gould" and with King Features Syndicate, Inc. pastedown label.
Gould was most famous for his Dick Tracy comic strip, which he began only two years after this popular but short-lived strip about a feisty young lady. Left as a baby on the doorstep of three male artists Barclay, Kit, and Jimmy, and their housekeeper, Mother Gale, Nancy was adopted, raised, and adored by them. This group of strips focuses on Nancy's impending twelfth birthday and her growing curiosity about her birth parents. A tender and very gender-role bending strip from Gould's early days before he became known for his hard-edged detective hero.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Milt hammer ( 20th century)
“Blue Bolts and Nuts #1 3rd cover, 1947.” Comic strip.
Pen, ink, correction fluid and collage on Bristol board. 560x381 mm; 22x15 inches, sheet. Signed “Milt Hammer” in lower image; production stamp on back.
Estimate
$250 – $350
Jeff macnelly (1977-2000)
“Shoe.” Sunday Page comic dated March 15th 1987.
Published by Tribune Media Services, with their label in 7th panel. Ink and marker board. 425x584 mm; 16¾x23 inches, sheet. Signed “MacNelly” in the top left corner and again, with date 3/15 in last panel; additionally inscribed by MacNelly below the title panel.
This comic focuses on a quintessentially 1980s Wall Street theme, as a commodities trader who has stepped into the bar, tells the title character Shoe about his line of work, and interest in “Mercedes futures.” Unlike other Shoe pages which have come to the market, this page is vibrantly hand-colored in watercolor.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
[otto messmer (1892-1983)] (pat sullivan)
“Sing out the directions on that map - I’m off after the treasure.”
Original “Felix the Cat” Sunday comic, published March 12, 1933, with King Features Syndicate pastedown. Pen and ink over graphite with blue pencil on Bristol board. 410x520 mm; 16¼x20½ inches, on 18½x23-inch sheet. Signed “Pat Sullivan” in last panel.
Messmer worked for the Pat Sullivan Studios, who claimed credit for the character.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
[otto messmer (1892-1983)] (pat sullivan)
“Another invention on the boss’-glasses that show things in a future state.” Original “Felix the Cat” Sunday comic.
Original “Felix the Cat” Sunday comic, published December 22, 1935, with King Features Syndicate pastedown. Pen and ink over graphite on Bristol board. 410x520 mm; 16¼x20½ inches, on 18x23-inch sheet. Unsigned. Matted to 20x24.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Werner roth (1921-1973) / vince colletta (1923-1991)
“This mirror is splitting me!”
Illustration for page 13 of “Hall of 1000 Mirrors” in Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane, Volume 1, Issue 116, published by DC Comics, November 1971. Pen, ink, colored pencil, and correction fluid over graphite on paper, with pencil work by Roth and inks by Colletta. 380x255mm;15x10 inches, on 16x10½-inch sheet. Unsigned, but with National Periodical Publications, Inc. copyright stamp and Comics Magazine Code Authority approval stamp on verso.
In this story, Superman and Lois Lane find themselves trapped and disoriented in a ploy orchestrated by the villain, Desaad.
Superman’s heads in this issue were inked by Murphy Anderson, one of the premier artists for DC Comics.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Neal sternecky (1961-)
Walt Kelly’s POGO. “Rackety, Rackety! Whenever he talks, just goes `Clackety, Clackety’” Sunday Page comic.
9-panel comic strip published February 9, 1992 by Okefenokee Glee & Perloo, Inc., and distributed by the L. A. Times Syndicate. Ink, blue and orange pencil, and correction fluid; title, signature, and all but bubble text in collage. 460x630 mm; 18x24¾ inches, on slightly larger paper.
Signed and inscribed by Sternecky to Susan Heytens (whose name also appears on the boat in the last panel): “For Susan, in lieu of combat pay, and with equal parts gratitude & admiration - Neal Sternecky 01/13/91.” Matted and framed to 27x34 inches.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
George wunder (1912-1987)
“Peg Constable confesses that jealousy of the fascination his work holds for Connie led her to invent the Space Hypnosis Rumors.” Terry and the Pirates Sunday Comic Strip.
Original “Terry and the Pirates” comic strip, published December 22, 1963, with News Syndicate Co. pastedown. Pen and ink over graphite with individual panels collaged and mounted onto larger sheet. 440x660 mm; 17 1/4x25 3/4 inches (sight). Matted with a brass plaque and framed to 29x40. Not examined out of frame.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Chic young (1901-1973)
“Here comes that shifty salesman who sold me the egg beater that doesn’t work.” Blondie Daily Comic Strip.
Blondie / Daily Comic Strip published September 22, 1956, with King Features Syndicate pastedown in first panel. Ink and Zip-a-tone on Bristol board. 140x457 mm; 5½x18 inches, sight. Signed “Chic Young” in last panel and dated 9-22 in first. Matted and framed to 14x26 inches.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Animation
(animation) the beatles / yellow submarine
“Boxing Monster with whales.”
Original animation cel from the feature length animated film (United Artists/King Features Syndicate, 1968). 3-sheet layered hand-painted gouache on celluloid, with production notations in ink in lower margin of top sheet. 233x152 mm; 9¼x6 inches, main image, on approximately 12¼x16-inch sheets. Hinged to backing board with masking tape.
Provenance: “One-of-a-Kind” Cartoon Art, with their certificate of authenticity from mounted to previous frame verso (loose, but kept with art); private collection, purchased from the above.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
(animation) don bluth (1937-)
“All Dogs Go to Heaven.” Carface key multi-animation production cel Setup.
Elaborate key multi-cel animation setup (with scene-matching background print) of the villain Carface from the classic Don Bluth and Gary Goldman-directed film All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). 11½x16 inches, image, on 13½x16½-inch sheets.This is a far more complex setup than most that have come to market: it consists of 5 cel layers, including Carface, his car, translucent shadows, and the movie screen, all on separate cels over a scene-matching background print. It is remarkable that these many matching pieces have remained together, and this setup is a testament to the complexity of making animated films.
Estimate
$300 – $400
(disney / king features) louis biedermann (1874-1957)
Rio de Janeiro with Sugarloaf Mountain in the background.
Original illustration for a possibly unrealized King Features Mickey Mouse calendar for 1930. Pen and ink on paper with archival backing paper. 1003x750 mm; 39½x29½ inches.
Provenance: Richard Opfer Auctioneering, Inc.; Geographicus Rare Antique Maps.
This is one of eight known and twelve presumed illustrations by Biedermann for a large-scale King Features annual calendar. Noted Mickey Mouse collector and toy designer Mel Birnkrant, who owns the four others from this same series, notes on his website (melbirnkrant.com) that the images can be dated to 1930, which was the year King Features licensed Mickey Mouse from Disney as a comic strip. Each of the scenes shows a newly-arrived Mickey and his cartoon friends in a different foreign city "taking on the world," as it were.
Biedermann was a prolific artist on the staff of Joseph Pulitzer's and William Randolph Hearst's syndicated newspapers, and illustrated many of their numerous book, magazine, and calendar publications. His crowd scenes and views from a bird's eye perspective, like this image, became his trademark. In 1926, he co-created the book All The Funny Folks for which he made detailed drawings featuring dozens of famous comic characters by other cartoonists. The success of the book led to a commission by King Features Syndicate to illustrate annual calendars with the complete roster of the company's comic strip characters.
Here, along with Biedermann's giant-eared Mickey, we see Felix the Cat, The Katzenjammer Kids, Ignatz Mouse, Offisa Pupp, Happy Hooligan, Grace Drayton's Dolly Dimples and Pussycat Princess among other famous faces.
A fascinating example of Biedermann's work and among the earliest artworks related to the Mickey Mouse comic strip. The whereabouts of the remaining four illustrations is unknown.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
(disney / king features) louis biedermann (1874-1957)
Cartoon characters flying over a European city.
Original illustration for a possibly unrealized King Features Mickey Mouse calendar for 1930. Pen and ink on paper with archival backing paper. 1003x750 mm; 39½x29½ inches.
Provenance: Richard Opfer Auctioneering, Inc.; Geographicus Rare Antique Maps.
This is one of eight known and twelve presumed illustrations by Biedermann for a large-scale King Features annual calendar. Noted Mickey Mouse collector and toy designer Mel Birnkrant, who owns the four others from this same series, notes on his website (melbirnkrant.com) that the images can be dated to 1930, which was the year King Features licensed Mickey Mouse from Disney as a comic strip. Each of the scenes shows a newly-arrived Mickey and his cartoon friends in a different foreign city "taking on the world," as it were.
Biedermann was a prolific artist on the staff of Joseph Pulitzer's and William Randolph Hearst's syndicated newspapers, and illustrated many of their numerous book, magazine, and calendar publications. His crowd scenes and views from a bird's eye perspective, like this image, became his trademark. In 1926, he co-created the book All The Funny Folks for which he made detailed drawings featuring dozens of famous comic characters by other cartoonists. The success of the book led to a commission by King Features Syndicate to illustrate annual calendars with the complete roster of the company's comic strip characters.
Here, along with Biedermann's giant-eared Mickey, we see Felix the Cat, Bonzo, Jiggs and Grace Drayton's Dolly Dimples among other famous faces.
A fascinating example of Biedermann's work and among the earliest artworks related to the Mickey Mouse comic strip. The whereabouts of the remaining four illustrations is unknown.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
(disney / king features) louis biedermann (1874-1957)
Shanghai with the Old Shanghai Weather Station with the Bund in the background.
Original illustration for a possibly unrealized Mickey Mouse calendar for 1930. Pen and ink on paper with archival backing paper. 1003x750 mm; 39½x29½ inches.
Provenance: Richard Opfer Auctioneering, Inc.; Geographicus Rare Antique Maps.
This is one of eight known and twelve presumed illustrations by Biedermann for a large-scale King Features annual calendar. Noted Mickey Mouse collector and toy designer Mel Birnkrant, who owns the four others from this same series, notes on his website (melbirnkrant.com) that the images can be dated to 1930, which was the year King Features licensed Mickey Mouse from Disney as a comic strip. Each of the scenes shows a newly-arrived Mickey and his cartoon friends in a different foreign city "taking on the world," as it were.
Biedermann was a prolific artist on the staff of Joseph Pulitzer's and William Randolph Hearst's syndicated newspapers, and illustrated many of their numerous book, magazine, and calendar publications. His crowd scenes and views from a bird's eye perspective, like this image, became his trademark. In 1926, he co-created the book All The Funny Folks for which he made detailed drawings featuring dozens of famous comic characters by other cartoonists. The success of the book led to a commission by King Features Syndicate to illustrate annual calendars with the complete roster of the company's comic strip characters.
Here, along with Biedermann's giant-eared Mickey, we see Felix the Cat, Bonzo the Dog, Jiggs and Maggie, and Dumb Dora, among other famous faces.
A fascinating example of Biedermann's work and among the earliest artworks related to the Mickey Mouse comic strip. The whereabouts of the remaining four illustrations is unknown.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
(disney / king features) louis biedermann (1874-1957)
Moscow with the Bolshoi Theater in the background with alligator.
Original illustration for a possibly unrealized King Features Mickey Mouse calendar for 1930. Pen and ink on paper with archival backing paper. 1003x750 mm; 39½x29½ inches.
Provenance: Richard Opfer Auctioneering, Inc.; Geographicus Rare Antique Maps.
This is one of eight known and twelve presumed illustrations by Biedermann for a large-scale King Features annual calendar. Noted Mickey Mouse collector and toy designer Mel Birnkrant, who owns the four others from this same series, notes on his website (melbirnkrant.com) that the images can be dated to 1930, which was the year King Features licensed Mickey Mouse from Disney as a comic strip. Each of the scenes shows a newly-arrived Mickey and his cartoon friends in a different foreign city "taking on the world," as it were.
Biedermann was a prolific artist on the staff of Joseph Pulitzer's and William Randolph Hearst's syndicated newspapers, and illustrated many of their numerous book, magazine, and calendar publications. His crowd scenes and views from a bird's eye perspective, like this image, became his trademark. In 1926, he co-created the book All The Funny Folks for which he made detailed drawings featuring dozens of famous comic characters by other cartoonists. The success of the book led to a commission by King Features Syndicate to illustrate annual calendars with the complete roster of the company's comic strip characters.
Here, along with Biedermann's giant-eared Mickey, we see a giant alligator, Felix the Cat, and Grace Drayton's Dolly Dimples and Pussycat Princess among other famous faces.
A fascinating example of Biedermann's work and among the earliest artworks related to the Mickey Mouse comic strip. The whereabouts of the remaining four illustrations is unknown.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
(animation) walt disney studios / dick anthony (20th century)
Pastoral Symphony from Fantasia.Studio-issued photostat.
Studio-issued photostat of sequence 4.5. 367x445 mm; 14½x17½ inches, sheet. Artist's sign-off stamp signed "04.5 Dick Anthony / J.C.J." and signed "Anthony" in pencil again, verso center. Taped to window matte along verso center and framed. <br>Provenance: "One-of-a-Kind" Cartoon Art, Decatur, GA. (with their COA); current owner, private collection New York.
This photostat in its original presentation matte was apparently made for review by the studio staff; it is very likely that this scene was left out of the final film due to its risqué visuals.
The reverse of the backing board bears a rarely seen production-specific stamp for the “Concert Feature” (the working title for Fantasia), with the sequence number 4.5, name of the artist Dick Anthony, and the initials J.C.J.
Dick Anthony was responsible for many lovely background paintings on The Pastoral Symphony sequence. The great Disney, Fleischer and Mintz artist, Dick Huemer (who was a story director on Fantasia), spoke highly of Dick Anthony’s talent, saying in a 1968 interview that he was ”A crackerjack background and matte artist.”
While not original art, this is a very scarce image and a fantastic relic of “forbidden” Disney history.
Estimate
$600 – $900
(animation) walt disney studios / ron dias (1937-2013)
Cel and master background setup of Donald Duck in rugged hiking gear for a Disney educational filmstrip, circa early 1980s.
Most likely a cel and master background setup of Donald Duck in rugged hiking gear for a Disney educational filmstrip, circa early 1980. Both 265x357 mm; 10½x14 inches, the background signed "Ron Dias" in lower left; "9F" penciled in the top margin and "37" in red crayon the lower. Tipped to window matte and framed. The art director and background painter Dias came to California from Hawaii to work at the Disney Studios in 1956 and contributed to such films as Sleeping Beauty, The Secret of NIMH, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and Beauty and the Beast.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
(animation) walt disney studios / snow white
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Raccoons Production Cel.
Courvoisier Setup (Walt Disney, 1937). Hand-inked and hand-painted production cel of two raccoons with folded arms. Celuloid panels are placed over a Courvoisier hand-painted background. Racoons measure 51x7 mm; 2x3 inches, matted to an image area of 4½x4 inches. Courvoisier lables excised and mounted to sheet which is attached to frame backing paper.
Christie’s, L.A., 2001; private collection.
Estimate
$600 – $900
(animation) walt disney studios
Pinocchio.
Disney concept sketch created by the Disney Consumer Products Division, circa 1990s. Graphite and blue pencil on tissue. 362x250 mm; 14¼x9¾ inches. Stamped "© Disney Concept Not Approved for Reproduction" in lower right.
Estimate
$300 – $400
(animation) max fleischer (1883-1972) / superman
“The hour has come!” Tower Corridor and Mad Scientist Layout Drawing.
A large, dramatic panoramic layout drawing of the Mad Scientist from the 1941 Fleischer Studios short Superman (AKA The Mad Scientist). Graphite, red pencil, and collage on 7-peghole animation paper. 330x813 mm; 13x32 inches, sheet, folded in fourths. Upper left corner of recto bears the production number S-10-2 and the scene number 40; a note near the top edge reading "Rendering Guide.
The first ever animated Superman film. The drawing shows three poses of the titular villain, corresponding to a scene beginning at 4m33s mark, where he slinks down the stairs of his lair to apprehend the brave reporter Lois Lane, who landed her plane outside just as he had begun to activate his “Electrothanasia-Ray" . . . at the stroke of midnight.
This Academy Award nominated film launched the groundbreaking Fleischer Studios Superman series, long celebrated for the films’ lavish production values, Art Deco aesthetics, and lasting contributions to the Superman mythos (i.e. giving the character signature power of flight). An impressive piece from a true landmark of animated film history.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
(animation) hanna-barbera studios
Charlotte’s Web. Hand-painted Animation Production Cel.
Hand-painted production cel of the titular character from the classic Hanna-Barbera feature Charlotte’s Web (1973). 100x150 mm; 4x6 inches, image, on 10½x15½-inch sheet.
This is an exceptionally large and charming image of the diminutive spider (over 6 inches at its widest points). A print background on acid-free paper is included for presentation purposes.
Estimate
$500 – $750
(animation) hanna-barbera studios
The Flintstones. Hand-inked studio publicity cel featuring Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty.
An extremely scarce Hanna-Barbera Flintstones publicity work dating to the run of the original 1960s animated television series. Image roughly 78x78 mm; 7x7 inches, on 8½x1-inch sheet.
Cels like this were made by the studio ink and paint department for publicity purposes and as gifts to VIPs involved with the company. It features Fred, Wilma, and the Rubbles, Betty and Barney, gathered around the piano in song. This delightful image was most likely designed by the great MGM and Hanna-Barbera artist Dick Bickenbach, and the scenario was often imitated in later Hanna-Barbera art releases.
The Flintstones holds a notable place in television history as the first primetime animated sitcom. It paved the way for The Simpsons and many other series that followed.
Estimate
$600 – $900
(animation) the simpsons / matt groening (1954-)
The Simpsons. Couch Gag cel setup.
Early couch gag multi-cel setup for a classic Season 3 (1991) opener, presented over a studio-prepared hand-painted reproduction background. 270x317 mm; 10¾x12½ inches. Background is marked #4 / 18A; top marked M8FCG-1-10 / GM 1286 / Santa / H32, dated 1991; it additionally bears a Fox Studio seal in the lower left corner and a TM/Fox copyright statement.
The related frame appears 20 seconds into this classic opening, as Homer reaches to discover the family dog, Santa’s Little Helper, under his couch cushion. The cel layer with Homer appears to be an alternate version of the gag, as it matches the final scene in every aspect except that his eyes are open.
The Simpsons Animation Art Program began releasing a limited number of production setups from the Fox archives each year. A purchase certificate from Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. is included with the artwork.