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.