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
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Andrew M. Ansorge
Vice President & Controller
Alexandra Mann-Nelson
Chief Marketing Officer
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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
Shannon Licitra
Shipping Manager
slicitra@swanngalleries.com
General Book & Magazine Illustration, including Advertising:
Harold anderson (1894-1973)
Santa Claus heading out.
Illustration for an unknown holiday story or advertisement. Oil on canvas with varnish. 690x1020 mm; 27x40 inches. See condition report.
Anderson’s iconic depictions of Santa Claus always embody the spirit of the holiday, and this jolly Claus, putting up a “be back soon” sign on his front door before heading out to deliver presents is no exception.
Estimate
$3,000 – $5,000
Charles g. atamian (1872-1947)
Woman arranging flowers on mantel.
Illustration for an unidentified story. Mixed media with ink, chalk, and gouache on artist’s board. 380x280 mm; 15x11 inches. Signed and dated “Ch. Atamian 1910” lower right. Tipped to window matte and framed to 22x18 inches.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Paul bacon (1923-2015)
“The Bourne Supremacy.”
Cover Art for the bestselling spy novel The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum (New York: Random House, 1986). Mixed media on paper. 83 mm; 3¼ inches, tondo; matted and framed to 13x13 inches. Signed “Paul Bacon” in pencil, in lower right margin beneath circular image.
Provenance: Estate of the artist.
Bacon’s work is iconic though his name is not well known. He pioneered the distinctive book cover style known as the “big book look” where the use of minimal imagery and large point, bold lettering allowed the book to stand out on the shelves. Such famous titles include Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the original hardback cover for Jaws, and Phillip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint. He also worked on projects for the legendary Blue Note jazz label, designing covers for Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery, Dizzy Gillespie, and Chet Baker. By the end of his long career, he had created a staggering six and a half thousand book covers and over two hundred album covers.
Estimate
$500 – $750
James barkley (1941-)
“Queen.”
Double-page introduction spread illustration published in Alex Haley and David Stevens’ novel of southern plantation life Queen: The Story of an American Family, (New York: Reader’s Digest, 1994). Watercolor and collage with mixed media on board, mounted to foam core. 394x534 mm; 15½x21 inches. Signed “Barkley” in pencil, center right image.
The novel is a partly biographical, historical fiction story of a child born to an enslaved woman and her master, and how her life unfolds after abolition. It was made into a miniseries adaptation for CBS television titled “Alex Haley’s Queen” in February 1993 starring Halle Berry in the title role.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Irene bashkiroff-valira (1913-1999)
“Miss Twisty: Back to the City.”
Illustration for the last chapter of Miss Twisty: Adventures in the Country by Irene B. Valira (New York and Paris: Valira, 1948). Graphite on paper. 310x260 mm; 12¼x10¼ inches. Signed “I.B. Valira” in image, lower right. Tipped to window matte and framed to 20x18 inches.
A copy of the first trade edition in dust jacket accompanies the artwork.
Valira’s charming self-published book about a city gal who takes a summer break with a farm family in the country, following her adventures and foibles. The book’s jacket bears an endorsement by Natalia Gontcharova who notes that the young American artist “brings great talent and a deep sense of humor” to her drawings. The full caption of this final illustration, showing Miss Twisty boarding the train back to the city reads: “And to the new adventures . . . So long Junior, so long little Sis! . . . Hope, to come back.”
Estimate
$500 – $750
Cecil c. beall (1892-1967)
“Cheerleader.”
Illustration for an unknown story. Gouache and watercolor on board. 463x337 mm; 18¼x13¼ on 23½x18-inch board. Signed “C. C. Beall” in lower left image. Hinged to window matte and framed to 28x22½ inches.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Cecil c. beall (1892-1967)
Nerdy guy gets the girl.
Illustration for an unknown story, circa 1950. Gouache and applied gloss on Whatman board. 532x382 mm; 21x15 inches, on 22x17½-inch board. Signed “C.C. Beall” in lower right image. Hinged to window matte and framed to 27x23 inches.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Cecil c. beall (1892-1967)
Police raid on casino.
Illustration for an unidentified story. Watercolor on Whatman board. 582x600 mm; 23x23½ inches. Signed “C. C. Beall” in lower right. Tipped to window matte.
Provenance: Illustration House, 1989; private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
An intriguing scene featuring two couples, elegantly dressed in white-tie and tails, evening gowns, and jewels, with one woman’s chin proudly held high as they are escorted out of the casino to a waiting paddy wagon.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Aubrey beardsley (1872-1898)
Three Stylized Clematis Flowers.
Ornamental device for Book VI, chapter XVIII of “Le Morte d’Arthur,” London: Dent, 1893-94. Pen and ink on paper. 91x60 mm; 3½x2½ inches. Inlaid to size on 9¾x7½-inch sheet with hand-drawn borders, “402” in pencil on verso. [1893].
The clematis in “Morte d’Arthur” represents both intellectual beauty and artifice and anticipates 20th century abstract design. This ornament is repeated in Book IX, chapter XIX, page 402 and Book XVII, chapter IV, page 785. Zatlin, Linda, Aubrey Beardsley: A Catalogue Raisonné, Vol 1; #472.
Provenance: J. M. Dent to Erhard Weyhe Collection, Sotheby’s New York 15 December 1988 to Jack and Caroline Milne; Swann Galleries, 2016; Private Collection.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Lonie bee (1902-1995)
Uncle Sam enjoying a beer.
Illustration likely for a Pabst Blue Ribbon billboard. Oil on canvas. 535x1045 mm; 21x45 inches, framed to 22x46. Signed “Lonie Bee” in lower right. Provenance: Illustration House, 1989; private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
A charmingly irreverent illustration of Uncle Sam relaxing with a refreshing beer, his shoes casually propped up on a pile of books next to a bottle of champagne. The clear message here is that he’s no fussy, high-fallutin’ father of his country and prefers to kick back with a beer at the end of a hard day of democracy.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
John blackburn (1939-2006)
“Coley Wild in the Street.”
Illustration published on the cover of the second book in Blackburn’s Coley series. Ink and marker on paper with glaze. 406x289 mm; 16x11½ inches. Signed “©John Blackburn” and “Jay Blackburn” lower margin. 1989.
Provenance: Private collection, Los Angeles, California.
John Blackburn was born in Statesboro, Georgia in 1939. He attended art school in Nashville, Tennessee. After graduation, he settled in Atlanta but relocated to Los Angeles in the 1960s where his career flourished. There he drew illustrations for such publications as Physique Pictorial, Physique Art Quarterly, One, In Touch, FirstHand, ManTalk, Manscape, and Guys magazines. During the late 70’s, Blackburn created the character of Coley Cochran, a 19-year-old bisexual who is kidnapped and undergoes a rite which turns him into a Dorian Gray-like ageless “voodoo sex god,” narcissistic and able to seduce anyone. The artist incorporated his own experiences and memories of being a young gay man in the south during the ’60s and ’70s into Coley’s character and narrative. He self-published four volumes of the popular series between 1989-1991.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Mahlon blaine (1894-1969)
“Crossing The Water or At The Water’s Edge.”
Illustration for Vol. II, Page 230 of the Bibliophilist Society edition of The Decameron of Boccaccio (London, circa 1930). Pen, ink, and gouache on paper. 380x235 mm; 15x9¼ inches, on 16¼x10½-inch sheet. Initialed “M.B.” in lower right image. Hinged to board with window matte.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Hannes bok (1914-1964)
Preliminary pencil illustration with extensive notations.
For an unidentified work. Graphite on stiff paper, with inked color indication notes written in the right margin. 280x435 mm; 11x17¼ inches, sheet. Unsigned but with the artist’s estate stamp in the left margin; verso contains a partial black and white print of trees, with an approximate image area of 5½x4 inches. Float-mounted and archivally framed to 17½x23½ inches.
Provenance: The Jerry Weist Collection; private collection, Texas.
Estimate
$300 – $500
Joseph bowler (1928-2017)
Elderly couple on couch.
Illustration for an unidentified story. Oil on canvas. 460x762 mm; 18x30 inches, framed to 19x31 inches. Signed “Bowler” in lower left image.
Provenance: Illustration House, 1989; private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
Bowler was an equally prolific portraitist as illustrator. This image reveals his ability to capture his subjects’ personalities and lives in a simple but insightful composition.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Braldt bralds (1951-)
Karl Marx. V for Victory.
Illustration for the cover of Der Spiegel, issue #34, August 8, 2005. Oil on wood panel. 348x270 mm; 13¾x10½ inches. Signed and dated “© Braldt Bralds. `05” in lower right. Archivally float-mounted and framed to 25¼x21¾ inches.
Born in 1848, Karl Marx is considered the “Father of Communism.” A scholarly political theorist and philosopher, he lived in times of social upheaval which he came to see as a severely unbalanced system between the privileged and working classes, a struggle that had been going on since early civilization. Marx believed that capitalism merely replaced feudalism; he foresaw an inevitable rise of corporate monopolies in that system, which he believed would eventually destroy the lives of all but those at very the top. “Though his writings urged populations to unite and strive for a classless civilization, things didn’t work out idyllically in the communist governments that arose; they weren’t immune to megalomaniacs either, and created a few of note. Communism, along with its idealistic founders, were vilified.”– Bralds,The Way I Saw Things: The Art of Braldt Bralds. However, by the turn of the 21st Century, Marx’s points were being reconsidered. In August 2005 Der Spiegel ran its cover story about this (“Ein Gespenst Kehrt Zurück; Die neue Macht der Linken”), commissioning Bralds to illustrate it. His keen portrait shows a vindicated Marx giving the “V for Victory” hand sign as his reputation receives a little cleaning.
Estimate
$3,500 – $5,000
Don brautigam (1946-2008)
“The Pirating of Mel Fisher’s Gold.”
Cover story illustration published in Free Enterprise magazine, June 1976. Primarily airbrush with liquid acrylic finished with Krylon artist spray fixative on board. 415x354 mm; 16¼x14inches. Signed “D. Brautigam” in lower left; artist’s stamp on verso.
Provenance: The estate of the artist.
Brautigam was a highly skilled illustrator who pioneered the use of black paint against striking colors to create some of the most iconic heavy metal album covers and thriller/horror genre book covers throughout the 1980s and 90s. Among his most famous are the 1986 Metallica album Master of Puppets, Mötley Crüe’s 1989 album Dr. Feelgood, and numerous covers for the wildly popular Signet paperbacks of Stephen King novels including The Stand and The Dark Half.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Don brautigam (1946-2008)
“Ziggurat.”
Cover for the same-titled science fiction novel by Robert Katz (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1977). Primarily airbrush with liquid acrylic finished with Krylon artist spray fixative on board. 385x315 mm; 15¼x12½ inches. Initialed “D.B.” in lower right image, with artist’s stamp on verso. Provenance: The estate of the artist.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Hablot knight brown (phiz) (1815-1882)
Photographer on the beach.
Likely one of a series of scenes of the country and seaside which Brown executed in the 1860s. Watercolor and wash on paper mounted to board. 172x240 mm; 6¾x9½ inches, sheet. Signed “Phiz” in pencil, lower left image. Cornered to matte.
H.K. Brown, known by his pseudonym “Phiz” was most famous for his illustrations of Dickens novels, but also contributed to newspapers and magazines of the mid-nineteenth century. In 1869 he published a book of images titled Sketches of the Seaside and Country, containing pictures similar to this amusing scene featuring a photographer battling the uneven terrain of sand and wind, attempting to photograph a family with a cumbersome glass plate camera.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Charles edward chambers (1883-1941)
Meeting the lady of the house.
Illustration of a domestic scene, likely for a story in Century, Scribner’s, or Harper’s Bazar magazine, circa 1925. Watercolor, ink, and wash on board. 508x406 mm; 20x16 inches, board. Signed “C.E. Chambers” lower left corner.
Estimate
$350 – $500
Denis-antoine chaudet (1763-1811)
Three illustrations for “Idylles de Theocrite.”
Plus two by another artist. Together, 5 illustrations later engraved by Delignon for Idylles de Théocrite Book VII (Paris, 1788). Original watercolor, wash, and ink on paper. Generally 83x58 mm; 3¼x2¼ inches, images, tipped to 10x8½-inch window mattes. Three signed “Chaudet” but two unsigned and in a slightly different style and ink, likely by another artist.
Estimate
$500 – $750
David chestnutt (20th century)
“Think Wild!”
Cover of the first paperback edition of the novel of the same title by Arnold Madison (New York: Archway, 1970). Watercolor on paper. 260x153 mm; 10¼x6 inches, sheet; attached to 14½x11¼-inch illustration board. Signed (perhaps not in artist’s hand) and with paperback issue number on verso. A copy of the book accompanies the artwork.
A wild and colorful illustration for a tale of teenagers whose restoration of their beloved junkyard car “Blue Monster” becomes a symbol of delinquency by a conservative group and plants them on the receiving end of their bigotry and violence.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Howard chandler christy (1872-1952)
“Juliet Comes To Polonius.” Illustration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Illustration published on page 67 of William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy Of Hamlet (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1897. Oil on board, mounted to masonite. 615x460 mm; 24x18 inches. Signed “H.C. Christy” lower right corner. Minor restoration; see condition report.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Thomas maitland cleland (1880-1964)
“Home-Coming.”
Tracing for the lithograph based on Cleland’s same-titled painting of 1951, reproduced as a decorative graphic and for calendars. Graphite on tracing paper with looser, fine red pencil tracing on verso matching the image on recto. 440x660 mm; 17¼x26 inches, sheet. Unsigned. Accompanied by a copy of the offset lithograph created from the finished painting by the Harris Offset Press, 1951. Tipped to window matte.
Provenance: Private collection, Connecticut.
Cleland’s practice was to re-draw his work directly onto the lithographic plates from tracing paper, which would then be printed onto a sheet-fed Harris offset press. Though a painstaking task, he felt it necessary to achieve the accuracy he desired. His early mentor was D. B. Updike of Merrymount Press, who provided both commissions and criticism, leaving Cleland chronically unsatisfied with anything less than perfection. Comparing the pencil drawing to the four-color lithograph, one can see subtle differences in the shading, linework, and composition, but the result is extraordinary.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
George connelly (1908-)
Naked strength.
Illustration for the story “Right as Rain” by Jim Kjelgaard published in Sports Afield magazine, June 1946 and collected in Hound Dogs and Others: A collection of stories by Members of Western Writes of America edited by Kjelgaard (New York: Dodd, Mead, 1958). Watercolor on board. 280x565 mm; 11x22¼ inches. Signed “Geo L. Connelly” in left image. Matted and framed to 17x29 inches.
Exhibited: The Art Directors Club of Philadelphia 14th Annual Exhibition of Advertising Art, submitted by Sports Afield Art Directors Ted Kesting and George Glasser, with their label on verso.
Estimate
$600 – $900
George connelly (1908-)
On the dock.
Illustration for a story published in Farm Journal magazine, June 1949, with their stamp on verso. Watercolor and gouache on board. 242x700 mm; 9½x27½ inches, on 17x30-inch board. Signed “Geo. L. Connelly” in upper right image. Taped along edges to matte.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Dean cornwell (1892-1960)
The Arabian Horsemen at Herod’s Bier.
Illustration for the novel The Big Fisherman by Lloyd C. Douglas (Boston, 1952), pages 8 and 9. Oil on canvas. 865x1145 mm; 34x45 inches, framed to 43½x54¼ inches. Signed “Dean Cornwell” in lower right.
Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private collection (by descent from the above); Acquired by the above from the present owner.
Exhibited: Louisville, The J. B. Speed Art Museum, Paintings and Drawings by Dean Cornwell, Mural Painter, Illustrator & National Academician from Kentucky, 1953, number 29.
Literature: Patricia Janis Broder, Dean Cornwell, Dean of Illustrators, New York, 1978, pages 121, 123. <br
The painting depicts the funeral scene after the death of King Herod, his body surrounded by military and citizens paying their respects before the burial.
Estimate
$12,000 – $18,000
Dean cornwell (1892-1960)
Peter Sees the Figure on the Shore.
Illustration for the novel The Big Fisherman by Lloyd C. Douglas (Boston, 1952), pages 200 and 201. Oil on canvas. 865x1148 mm; 34x45¼ inches, framed to 43¼x53¼ inches. Signed “Dean Cornwell” in lower right.
Accompanying the lot is a preparatory oil study for the final composition, measuring 230x310 mm; 9x12 inches (framed to 15x18 inches). A copy of the published book is also included in the lot.
Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private collection (by descent from the above); Acquired by the above from the present owner.
Exhibited: Louisville, The J. B. Speed Art Museum, Paintings and Drawings by Dean Cornwell, Mural Painter, Illustrator & National Academician from Kentucky, 1953, number 26.
Literature: Patricia Janis Broder, Dean Cornwell, Dean of Illustrators, New York, 1978, pages 12 and 24.
Estimate
$10,000 – $15,000
Otho cushing (1871-1942)
“The Song of Higher Arthur.”
Illustration to accompany Cushing’s poem of the same name, published in Life magazine, Volume 58, page 1092, December 11, 1914. Pen and ink on illustration board. 520x695 mm; 20½x27½ inches. Signed “Otho Cushing” lower left image. Poem typed on small strip of partially cropped paper, mounted to upper right corner of verso.
Though an accomplished illustrator, cartoonist, and poster artist who studied and taught in the U.S. and abroad, there exists little biographical coverage of Cushing, much as a result of his heirs destroying evidence of his sexuality. Most prolific at the turn of the century when commercial illustration hit its stride in magazines and newspapers, he was influenced by his contemporaries J.C. Leyendecker, Aubrey Beardsley and his admittedly favorite illustrator, Lord Frederic Leighton. Art historians have remarked that across his body of work, a clear homoeroticism can be detected in the proportions and the haughty attitude of his young male subjects, evidenced here by the dance’s onlookers.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Ehler dahl (1895-1945)
Dandy appraising nude sculpture.
Illustration for an unidentified story, circa 1925. Ink, watercolor, and wash on Abbott illustration board. 629x483 mm; 27¼x19 inches, on 30x22-inch board. Signed “Ehler Dahl” in lower right image. Matted and framed to 27x35 inches.
Ehler Dahl was an accomplished and prolific illustrator of fashion and Hollywood celebrity portraits who was better known for work under his pseudonym “Truda Dahl.” Under the Truda name, he was able to popularize his more whimsical pen-and-ink cartoons in the style of Nell Brinkley who was at the height of her fame with her flapper girl cartoons for the Hearst’s syndicated newspapers. “Truda” was requested to illustrate stories for Cupid’s Diary, Sweetheart Stories, All-Story Love Tales, and Love Novel of the Month.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Gilbert darling (1916-1970)
Van Heusen shirts Christmas advertisement.
Gouache on board. 445x423 mm; 17¼x16½ inches. Signed “Darling” in center left image.
A husband is pleasantly surprised when his wife, carrying way too many Christmas gifts down the stairs drops a few, revealing a cascade of crisp new Van Heusen oxfords.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Joseph de mers (1910-1984)
“Go West, Young Man.”
Titled illustration for an unidentified story in The Saturday Evening Post, circa 1955, with their stamp and label on verso. Gouache on board. 483x483 mm; 19x19 inches. Signed in pencil, upper right.
Estimate
$500 – $750
R. farrington elwell (1874-1962)
Polo players on horseback.
Illustration for an unknown story or article. Oil on canvas, circa 1925. 762x610mm; 30x24 inches. Signed “R. Farrington Elwell” in lower right image.
Elwell was a talented painter of horses who gained much of his early training through his connection with William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, illustrating some of the the famous performer’s advertising and publicity. He later went on to work for such publications as Harper’s, Century Magazine, American Magazine, and The Outing Magazine as well as for pulp magazines such as Frank Leslie’s Popular Monthly, Adventure, West, Short Stories, and Frontier Stories before retiring to Arizona.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Harry fenn (1845-1911)
“Pushing through the Everglades / Burning Saw Grass.”
Illustration for the article Glimpses of the Everglades by William Hosea Ballou, published in Harper’s Weekly, March 12, 1887, volume 31, issue 1577. Ink, wash, and gouache on paper, mounted to board. 420x305 mm; 10½x12 inches. Signed by Fenn in ink, lower left, captioned in pencil in margin below image.
L>The article discusses one of the earliest and most complete expeditions to the Florida Everglades by Major A. P. Williams and his crew, including artist Harry Fenn, who drew these from life. The trip, during which several rivers were discovered and several islands named, was arranged by Major Edward A. Burke, then-owner of the New Orleans Times-Democrat and the notes and drawings were put together for him by author Wolf Harlander.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Virgil finlay (1914-1971)
Science Fiction Book Club Newsletter - Space War.
Preliminary proposed illustration. Mixed media with gouache and ink on illustration board. 195x135 mm; 7¾x5¼ inches, image, on 9¼x6¾-inch sheet. Signed “Virgil” in lower right image and again along bottom margin, along with his return mailing address. Archivally float-mounted with exposed margins and framed to 16½x14 inches.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
James montgomery flagg (1870-1960)
“He would sit and talk and laugh with them on the piazza.”
Illustration for the story “A Successful Wife” published anonymously in Everybody’s magazine, April 1910, page 493 and then later as “A Successful Wife: A Story” under the (possibly pseudonymous) name G. Dorset by Harper & Brothers, 1910. Graphite, pen, and ink on board. 483x660 mm; 19x26 inches. Signed “James Montgomery Flagg” in lower right margin. Matted and framed to 26x32.
Flagg’s charming illustration for this story about the modern woman of the day, the increasing divorce rates, and the exploration of women who stay in a poor marriage and those who have the courage to escape, rather than struggling to make a “success” of it.
Estimate
$3,500 – $5,000
James montgomery flagg (1870-1960)
“This was the way we all dressed in 1923!” Couple on bench.
Illustration for an unidentified story, likely Good Housekeeping. Circa 1923. Watercolor on thick paper mounted to board. Image measures 690x505 mm; 27¼x20 inches, attached to 31½x24 inch-matte. Signed “James Montgomery Flagg” in lower right image. Additionally signed and inscribed “To Bill & Jean with good wishes. James Montgomery Flagg / This was the way we all dressed in 1923!” along lower margin.
Provenance: Gifted from the artist to William and Jean Krefetz; thence by descent to current owner, private collection, Argentina.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Gustave fraipont (1849-1923)
Bound album of 56 drawings for La Grande Diablerie.
56 original illustrations for Éloy d’Amerval’s semi-erotic novel La Grande Diablerie, Poème du xve siècle,(Paris: Georges Hurtrel, 1884). Pen and ink, occasional graphite, and some on printed proof backgrounds with enhanced ink decoration; each mounted on tabs bound into unsigned modern half brown morocco, spine decorated with small devils, stars, scrolls, and a central vampire bat. A copy of the published book accompanies the album of artwork.
The illustrations show the devil as his mischievous self, appearing to the viewer, but not the subjects for whom he is about to cause trouble. “Delightful publication printed in a small number, enriched with a quantity of coloured chapter headings, endpapers and hors texte, finely engraved and in the best taste […] Curious bibliophile work” Caillet (I, 255) Vicaire (I, 40).
Fraipont was a Belgian painter, sculptor, illustrator and poster-designer. Born in Belgium, he later became a naturalized French citizen.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Georges garen (1854-1913)
“Embrasement de la Tour Eiffel.”
Original illustration for the lithograph produced for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris (May 5-October 31, 1889) by French printer and bookseller Jean Noël Monrocq. Watercolor and gouache on paper mounted to thicker paper stock. 520x330 mm; 20½x13 inches on 24¼x17 inches, sheet. Signed “G. Garen” in lower right image, and with a small portion of the artist’s handwritten label still adhered to original frame backing (included, though frame not present) with his initial descriptive title of “Tour Eiffel vue de nuit”.
Provenance: the artist, gifted to friends, Private collection, Paris, descended through family acquainted with the artist.
Published: cover of Musée d’Orsay exhibition catalogue “1889: La Tour Eiffel et l’Exposition Universelle,” Paris, 1989 (from the lithograph in their holdings).
Exhibited: Salon des Artistes Français, 1885-1906.
Garen’s bold, colorful image of the Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair, and its grand pavillions, alighting the night sky above the twinkling Seine beautifully portrayed the wonders of the world-famous spectacle. It was chosen as one of the representative images of the Exposition and this original painting was made into a mass-produced lithograph on one of the latest printing technologies. This method would be demonstrated live at the show’s Gallery of Machines.
This new press, created by the famed machinist Hippolyte Auguste Marioni was named “La Diligente.” Developed by Jules Michaud (Marioni’s son-in-law), it was a cylinder lithographic zinc matrix press for color printing and the forerunner of rotocalcography (offset lithography). To reproduce the painting, it was divided into 6 parts of roughly equal size to to meet the technical requirements needed to make the matrix. Enhancements were then applied to the final graphic for visual clarity and impact. Once completed, the painting was reassembled and restored, its cut lines masked with gouache (visible here, but well camouflaged).
The lithograph was immediately disseminated throughout Europe, enticing visitors to the Exposition and establishing Garen’s image as its iconic face. This information was provided with the help of Eric Le Ray, author, Marioni, le fondateur de la presse moderne 1823-1904, Paris, Éditions l’Harmattan, 2009) and Pierre-Antoine Lebel, Musée de l’Imprerie et de la Communication Graphique, Lyon.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Charles dana gibson (1867-1944)
“A Council of War in the Days To Come.”
Published in Life Magazine, August 6, 1896, pages 100-101. Pen and ink on paper. 507x690 mm; 20x27¼ inches, image, on 21½x27¾-inch sheet, archivally backed. Signed “C.D. Gibson” in lower right image.
Provenance: Alan M. Goffman; Private collection, Virginia.
Published: Pictures of People, Charles Dana Gibson, New York: R. H. Russell, 1896.
Cartoonists and illustrators of the time often delighted in depicting the modern woman in uncustomary roles. In her book “Bicycles, Bangs, and Bloomers: The New Woman in the Popular Press” (Lexington: Univ. Press of Kentucky, 1990) author Patricia Marks pointed out how the group of “Gibson Girls” in this image is dressed in military boots, kilts, and marching hats, “revolutionizing the military in squadron of their own.” Gathered for a conference, they are surrounded with swords, medals, and other war paraphernalia while they sing, primp, play piano, drink coffee, and feed a kitten, whose placemat for spilled milk is, of course, a war map.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
William glackens (1870-1938)
“Piccadilly Circus.”
Illustration for the frontispiece to Theodore Dreiser’s A Traveler at Forty, New York: Century Co., 1913). Graphite on paper. 382x330 mm; 15x30 inches, on slightly larger sheet. Signed “W. Glackens” in lower right image. Hinged to window matte and laid into 21x19¼ inch frame with with brass nameplate.
A copy of the 1920 edition of the book accompanies the artwork.
Literature: this image additionally appeared in the following Dreiser articles for The Century>i> magazine: “The First Voyage Over” (August 1913); “An Uncommercial Traveler in London” (September 1913) and “Paris” (October 1913). Pictured in and listed as catalog #58 in William Glackens a Catalog of His Book and Magazine Illustrations, Nancy E. Allyn and Elizabeth H. Hawkes, Delaware Art Museum, 1987.
Estimate
$4,000 – $5,000
Edward gorey (1925-2000)
Smith College Alumnae fund invitation.
Original artwork commissioned by Smith College for a fundraising card. Together, two sheets. The illustration art measures 83x190 mm; 3¼x7½ inches, on a 6x9-inch sheet; the card containing hand lettering measures 1¼x4 inches on a 5½x6¾-inch sheet.
Provenance: The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, consigned to support its mission of maintaining Gorey’s artistic legacy and the animal welfare organizations he supported.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Edward gorey (1925-2000)
Untitled / Man lounging with hounds on a dreary day.
Illustration created in 1981, later reproduced in the 2008 Edward Gorey Postcard Planner” (New York: Edward Gorey Enterprises, Inc., in conjunction with Artpost, 2008). Pen and ink on paper, 1981. 165x117 mm; 6½x4¾ inches, image, on 9½x7-inch sheet. Unsigned, but dated “15.v.81” (i.e. May 15, 1981) in Gorey’s hand on verso. An accompanying manuscript note by Andreas Brown titles the note as “A Dog Day Afternoon,” provides color indications for printing, and questions if it may have been used for a 2017 calendar.
Provenance: The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, consigned to support its mission of maintaining Gorey’s artistic legacy and the animal welfare organizations he supported.
The image appears as one of 26 detachable postcards in the spiral-bound yearly planner. Another version of the drawing, with the same image reversed, was used several years earlier as a greeting card captioned: “I’ve thought about it long and hard, so now I’m sending you this card.”
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Edward gorey (1925-2000)
Golfer.
Pen and ink on paper. 101x51 mm; 4x2 inches on 8½x5¾-inch sheet. Signed in pencil, lower right margin. Four-corner mounted to matte and float-mounted in frame.
Provenance: Gotham Book Mart, private collection, to present owner.
Exhibited: “Gorey World: Paintings, Drawings & Mysterious Objects,” Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco: September 1996-January 1997, and printed in the catalogue.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Edward gorey (1929-2000)
“Introduction.”
Vignette of a man and woman leaning on a ship’s railing, regarding one another. Pen and ink on paper. 61x95 mm; 2½x3¾ inches, image, on 8x6-inch sheet. Unsigned, but captioned by Gorey beneath image. Archivally framed to 9x7 inches.
Provenance/Published: Item number 12 in Bromer Booksellers Catalog 113 dedicated to Edward Gorey, published December 2001 and reproduced as the illustration above the Introduction. A copy of the catalogue, signed and dated by Anne Bromer, confirming that “Introduction” is an original illustration by Gorey accompanies the artwork.
At the time, this was the first illustrated dealer’s catalog of Gorey’s works to have appeared in many years. Its 231 items including original artwork, books, posters, and ephemera were lovingly collected by Boston fine book dealers Anne and David Bromer, who were friends with Gorey, and with whom he collaborated on two miniature books in the 1980s, The Eclectic Abecedarium and Q.R.V.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Frederic gruger (1871-1953)
Women in conversation.
Magazine story illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, with their label adhered to verso. Graphite on thin board. 315x315 mm; 12½x12½ inches, on slightly larger board. Signed “F. Gruger” in lower right image.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Frederic rodrigo gruger (1871-1953)
Romance on the veranda.
Likely illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, circa 1930. Graphite and wash on artist board. Oval image measuring 300x405 mm; 11¾x16 inches, on 12¼x17½-inch sheet. Inscribed and signed “To Bruce from F. R. Gruger” in lower right. Handsomely framed in gold wood oval matted and frame measuring 23x25 inches.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Chuck hamrick (20th century)
“Brown Stone Façade.”
Illustration for an unidentified story, likely for Readers Digest. Tempera on illustration board. 420x560 mm; 16½x22 inches, on 20x30-inch board mounted to foam board. Signed and dated “©88 C. Hamrick” in image, lower right.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Roger hane (1939-1974)
“A Love by the Stars.” De Beers diamond advertisement.
Created for De Beers’ “A Diamond is Forever” ad 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 “A Diamond is Forever” campaign -and the company’s slogan - 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
$5,000 – $7,500
Ruth ford harper (1883-1922)
“Whistful.”
Pastel on board. 547x420 mm; 21½x16½ inches, framed to 26x20½ inches. Signed “R. Ford Harper” beneath portrait.
Cincinnati Art Galleries, with their label on frame back; private collection, Kentucky.
Ruth Ford Harper, née Ruth Heilprin Hammerslough O’Neill, was WORK THIS UP: created the covers of various issues of Good Housekeeping, Harper’s weekly and Sunday Magazine of the New York Tribune under her pseudonym of R. Ford Harper. Ruth who after marrying Alexander Hammerslough in 1906 had became Ruth Heilprin Hammerslough, and lived in New York never became a widely recognized artist because she was working under a pseudonym in such a large city. Born in Washington, DC, Ruth Ford Harper traveled to Europe for three months twice, first when she was 19, and again three years later in 1905. She was a student of William Merritt Chase. In November 1918, she exhibited her art at the Dowell Club 108 W. 55th St, under her real name Ruth H. Hammerslough, and in August 1920 she traveled to Paris to study.(source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/photolibrarian/10106009753)a number of period postcards are visible online which feature her work, in addition to the various magazine / periodical cover art she created
Estimate
$1,000 – $2,000
Charles hawes (1909-1998)
“Today is Father’s Day.”
Illustration for the cover of PIC: The Magazine for Young Men June, 1946. Gouache on board. 431x305 mm; 17x12 inches. Signed “Hawes” in lower right corner. Matted and framed to 21x17¼ inches.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Harry hershfield (1885-1974)
Group of 4 poster designs commissioned by The National Brewing Company.
Four original gouache, ink, and watercolor designs tipped to black paper backing, accompanied by 4 hand-painted lithographs, 1 photograph, 1 letter, and newspaper clippings. 1941. Generally 533x355 mm; 21x14 inches and slightly larger. Signed “‘Hershfield’”; some stamped “Copyright 1941 Advertising Arts Corp., General Motors Bldg, N.Y.C.” Laid into imitation leather portfolio.
The accompanying 5 press photographs and newspaper clippings feature Hershfeld shaking hands with Federal Security Administrator, Paul V. McNutt as well as a host of political figures (including Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia) as he presents the printed series of patriotic posters, which were issued weekly across the country and “designed to promote Americanism and Unity among Americans.” A Typed Letter Signed by President of the National Brewing Co., A.H. Deute commends Hershfield’s work and states “If anything can bring about that maxim of harmony and team play which the USA can use right now, it is this sort of thing.” July 11, 1941.
Hershfield was a cartoonist and personality best remembered for his strips “Desperate Desmond,” “Dauntless Durham of the U.S.A.,” and “Abie the Agent” a popular comic based on his Jewish immigrant childhood in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He became a national radio star in 1942 with his NBC comedy show “Can You Top This?”
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Charles constantine hoffbauer (1875-1957)
Back of the Trenches, World War I.”
Illustration for an unidentified story, circa 1917. Mixed media with gouache, graphite, and crayon on buff paper, mounted to paper sheet. Signed “C. Hoffbauer” in lower right and initialed within a circle, lower left. 356x635 mm; 14x25 inches, image, the full sheet measuring 16 inches in height (paper backing sheet 19½x28½ inches. Tipped to window matte.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Mitchell hooks (1923-2013)
Thumb-sucker/small boy seated.
Illustration of a beguiling for an unidentified story. Acrylic and pencil on Bainbridge board. 532x230 mm; 21x9 inches, image, on 27½x14½-inch board. Signed “Mitchell Hooks” in lower left corner.
Provenance: Illustration House, 1989; private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
Estimate
$300 – $400
George inness, jr. (1854-1926)
“Stalking.”
lllustration for the article “Hunting the Rocky Mountain Goat” by William A. Baillie-Grohman, published in Century Illustrated Magazine, Volume 29, 1884-85, page 198, with their labels on verso of framing board. Oil on board. 410x405 mm; 16¼x16 inches. Signed “Inness Jr.” in lower right corner. Contemporary frame measuring 21x21½.
The work is listed by the artist’s wife Julia G. Smith in the compilation of Inness Jr’s works, #453: Newhouse Galleries, St. Louis, Mo., Index, Book 9.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Jay paul jackson (1905-1954)
Etta Moten Barnett on stage.
Illustration created for the American Negro Exposition, circa 1940. Watercolor on paper. 317x240 mm; 12½x9½. Signed “Jay Jackson” in pencil, lower right corner. Archivally 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 political delegate, civic activist and philanthropist.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Jay paul jackson (1905-1954)
Etta Moten Barnett with partner and other couples dancing
Illustration created for the American Negro Exposition, circa 1940. Watercolor on paper. 315x245 mm; 12½x9½. Signed “Jay Jackson” in pencil, lower right corner. Archivally 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 political delegate, civic activist and philanthropist.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Robert jones (1926-)
“Whitey wailed in anguish as the icebreaker sailed off and left him alone.”
Full-page illustration for the story “The Warmhearted Polar Bear” by Robert Murphy in The Saturday Evening Post, December 24, 1955, page 22. Gouache on water color board. Image measures 406x305 mm; 16x12 inches, on 24x21¾-inch board. Signed “R. Jones” in lower right image; partially abraded SEP publisher’s label on verso. A worn issue of the magazine and color copies of the story accompany the artwork.
The Warmhearted Bear was Jones’ first major editorial commission for the Post. He was working for Cooper Studio at the time and began as a weekly salaried artist. As the studio’s illustrators became more established, a status Jones achieved while there, the policy was to split commissions 50/50 with them for advertising art spots. If they landed a coveted editorial (story) assignment, the artist could keep the entire fee. Jones was delighted to have earned 12x more for this story than his previous $100 a week check (see http://todaysinspiration.blogspot.com/2009/06/bob-jones-in-grade-2-well-this-is-what.html)
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Martin justice (1892-1960)
“The Heights of Art.”
Illustration for the same-titled story by Joseph C. Lincoln published in Everybody’s Magazine, Vol. 14, #4, April 1906. Watercolor and wash on paper mounted to board. 490x407 mm; 19½x16 inches, image, on 24x19-inch board. Signed “Martin Justice” in upper left image.
Published: Pitz, Henry, 200 Years of American Illustration, New York, 1977, page 154, pictured.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Rockwell kent (1882-1971)
“And then, without more ado, sat quietly down there.” Illustration for Moby Dick.
Illustration for the heading of Chapter XXI, “Going Aboard,” page 141 published in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, (New York: Random House, 1930). Pen and ink on paper, mounted to board. 155x190 mm; 6¼x7½ inches, on 8½x10-inch board. Signed “Rockwell Kent” in lower right margin. Tipped to window matte and framed to 14x17 inches.
Provenance: Graham Gallery, with their labels; private collection, New York.
Moby Dick was Kent’s masterpiece and one of his most important commissions as a commercial illustrator. This scene shows the moment after Queequeg and Ishmael have an exchange with Elijah who asks them in the “grey imperfect misty dawn” along the wharf if they are “Going Aboard?” Ishmael warns him about disturbing the sailor, imploring him not to sit near him, but Queequeg “put his hand upon the sleeper’s rear, as though feeling if it was soft enough; and then, without more ado, sat quietly down there.”After their And then, without more ado, sat quietly down there.”
Kent’s illustrations are now perhaps the best known illustrations for Moby-Dick and are certainly among the most effective” –Thomas Tanselle, A Checklist of Editions of Moby-Dick, 1851-1976, (Chicago, 1976).
Estimate
$7,000 – $10,000
Rockwell kent (1882-1971)
“Wilfred.”
Illustration published in A Basket of Poses by George S. Chappell, with pictures by Hogarth Jr. [Rockwell Kent], (New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1924). Pen and ink on starched cloth mounted to board. 178x122 mm; 7x4¾ inches. Unsigned but with Kent’s estate ink stamp in lower right of board which also bears the stamp of Egmont Arens/Flying Stag Press on verso.
Provenance: The artist; by descent to family; Larcada Gallery, New York; Parke-Bernet Eighty-Four, New York, 2 March 1977; acquired by the present owner from the above.
Basket of Poses was Kent’s third published book and the first to bear his pseudonym of Hogarth Jr.
Published: The Illustrations of Rockwell Kent by Fridolf Johnson, New York: Dover, (1976), page 17.
Kent’s good friend Chappell wrote popular humorous verse, mainly for Vanity Fair, Frank Crowninshield’s fashionable monthly magazine. Kent submitted an illustration to accompany one of Chappell’s satirical poems but signed it “Hogarth Jr.” in an attempt to remain anonymous in what he believed to be a frivolous publication. It turned out to be the beginning of an easy and lucrative collaboration that produced several books and periodicals.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Rockwell kent (1882-1971)
Army Men.
Possibly unpublished drawing intended for Judge magazine or contemporary publication, circa 1918. Pen and ink on starched paper, mounted to board. 163x115; 6¼x4½ 9¾x7½. Signed as “Hogarth, Jr.” upper right image, also bearing Kent’s full signature and address along lower edge of board “Rockwell Kent 101 Park Ave” and the artist’s estate ink state stamp in lower right.
Provenance: The artist; by descent to family; Larcada Gallery, New York; Parke-Bernet Eighty-Four, New York, 2 March 1977; acquired by the present owner from the above.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Tom lea (1907-2001)
“Fighter pilots back from a tough six-hour mission . . .”
Grisaille watercolor on paper, 1943. Image measures 155x204 mm; 6x8¼ inches, on 9x12-inch sheet. Signed and dated “Tom Lea, Tunisia 1943” in image, lower right, signed and captioned in lower margin. Tipped to matte.
The full caption reads “Fighter pilots back from a rough six-hour mission and gathered at Operations for interrogation have their own thoughts while they sweat out the possible return of the missing men of their squadron. Done on Cape Bon, Tunisia, in Africa, September 1943 / To Bill and Jo - with the affection of their friend, Tom Lea.” Preserved paper from former frame back bears a clipped note in Lea’s hand stating “In memory of Fergus Meek Jr. and his squadron.”
While Lea is best known for his cowboy and western imagery, his paintings and illustrations of war, created while a combat artist and journalist for Life Magazine, rank among the most powerful and collectible of his oeuvre. They are often achingly beautiful in their rawness. As Lea stated: “I did not report hearsay; I did not imagine, or fake, or improvise; I did not cuddle up with personal emotion, moral notion, or political opinion about War with a capital W. I reported in pictures what I saw with my own two eyes, wide open” (Huard, Paul H.; Historynet.com).
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
John leone (1929-2011)
Capture for gold on Playa de Muertos.
Altered version of the original double-page opening spread illustration for the story “Curse of the Spanish Treasure” by Ramon Valdes published in Argosy magazine November 1959, pages 26-27. Oil on board. 470x680 mm; 18½x26¾ inches. Signed “Leone” in lower left. A copy of the published magazine showing the original composition accompanies the artwork.
The original published image shows the Spanish crew restraining a handsome man, his shirt ripped open in the struggle, revealing his strapping torso. After publication, seeing an opportunity to sell the painting itself, Leone changed the captured man to the sexy woman we see here. While it now had absolutely nothing to do with the story line of the lost $10,000,000 gold treasure, it made the action scene a little more titillating and Leone undoubtedly benefitted from his reworking.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Alexander leyedenfrost (1881-1961)
Bomb over Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands.
Oil on canvas. 660x610 mm; 26x24 inches, image. Signed “A Leydenfrost” in lower left image; laid into 42x40-inch handmade art frame.
Leydenfrost was a Hungarian-born American industrial designer and illustrator who specialized in depicting photorealist aircraft and spaceships. He worked with Willy Pogány on his arrival in the United States, and then with Norman Bel Geddes, he helped design the 1939 World’s Fair for General Motors, but his best known work was a series of pictures of warplanes painted during World War II.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Charles “chuck” liese (1937-2016)
“Texas Ranger.”
Cover illustration for the pulp paperback Western Texas Ranger by Wade Everett (New York: Ballantine Books, 1964). Gouache on board. 750x490 mm; 29½x19¼. Not signed, but publisher’s label on verso. A second printing of the book (1969) accompanies the artwork. Framed to 37x27 inches.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Robert mcginnis (1926-)
Adam, Eve, and Lilith.
Illustration for an unidentified work, likely book cover or adult magazine, early 1970s. Gouache on Bainbridge board. 380x253 mm; 15x10 inches. Signed “R. McGinnis” in pencil, lower right.
This work was discussed and shown to the artist and his son, Kyle McGinnis, in 2017-18 but neither could pinpoint exactly where the illustration appeared. They felt that it was most likely created for one of the numerous men’s magazine that McGinnis illustrated, but ultimately unused because of its risqué nudity.
Estimate
$3,500 – $5,000
David b. mattingly (1956-)
“Alien Worlds.”
Illustration for a radio show circa 1979. Acrylic on board. 250x250 mm; 9¾x9¾ inches, image, on 12x11½-inch board. Signed and dated “David B. Mattingly 3/79” in lower right corner and artist’s label attached to verso. Laid into matte and framed to 19x18½ inches.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Earl mayan (1916-2009)
“`Wait, he begged. Tell me before you go. What is it that I feel in him, that you feel, that most of us don’t have?’”
Illustration for the story “The Legacy of Mr. Lincoln” by Marshall Russell Skinner, published in The Saturday Evening Post February 15, 1958. Egg tempera on illustration board. 560x710 mm; 22x28 inches. Signed “Mayan” in center bottom. Inlaid to window matte measuring 27x32 inches. A matted tear sheet of the published story illustration accompanies the artwork.
Provenance: Property of the artist’s family.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Stanley meltzoff (1917-2006)
The University of Louisville School of Medicine.
Oil and gesso on panel, 1967. 610x790 mm; 24x31 inches; framed to 32x38. Initialed lower left.
Provenance: From the Estate of Stanley Meltzoff.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Stanley meltzoff (1917-2006)
Portrait of Judy Fittinger.
Unfinished portrait of the sitter. Oil on gesso panel. 600x510 mm; 23½x20 inches. Not signed.
Provenance: From the Estate of Stanley Meltzoff.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Wallace morgan (1873-1948)
Central Park scene.
Illustration for an unidentified publication. Watercolor and charcoal on paper. 13¼x13 inches, image. Signed “W. Morgan” in lower right corner. Matted and framed to 20½x20½ inches.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Allan neuwirth (1956-)
“Water Main Break!”
Illustration published on the cover and used as a poster for City & State magazine, 1988. Prismacolor pencils, watercolor, gouache, and marker on paper. 545x420 mm; 21½x10½ inches. Signed “Allan Neuwirth” along lower left. Not dated. A copy of the printed advertisement accompany the lot.
Neuwirth is an award-winning screenwriter, producer, author, designer, and cartoonist. City & State magazine is a publication for U.S. mayors, governors, and other politicians. This illustration is from a series of three magazine covers and posters about urban disasters.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Allan neuwirth (1956-)
“Test Tube Baby: The story of Shirley, a zygote in search of her roots.”
Illustration for an article about U.S. fertility clinics, published in City & State magazine, 1989. Prismacolor pencils, watercolor, gouache, and marker on paper, tipped to window matte. 455x350 mm; 18x13¾ inches. Signed “Neuwirth” lower right. Not dated.
The full caption reads “Her father was a deposit in a sperm bank, her mother a pyrex beaker. Her adoptive parents gave her love - But she needed more . . .”
Neuwirth is an award-winning screenwriter, producer, author, designer, and cartoonist. City & State magazine is a publication for U.S. mayors, governors, and other politicians.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Frederick burr opper (1857-1937)
“At last, one evening, she played for him on a Sohmer Piano, and–
Advertisement illustration for Sohmer pianos, 1891, published in Puck magazine and elsewhere. Pen and ink on stiff paper. 533x380 mm; 21x15 inches. Initialed “F.O.” in lower right * Likely illustration for Puck magazine showing six vignettes of daily life. Pen and ink on stiff paper. 340x483 mm; 13¼x19 inches. Signed “F. Opper” lower right.
Opper pursued a long, productive career as a cartoonist and is now best remembered as the creator of Happy Hooligan in the Sunday funnies.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Samuel davis otis (1889-1961)
Officer romancing a lady.
Gold-toned photogram on printing out paper, circa 1930. 203x166 mm; 8x6½ inches, sheet, cornered to matte board.
Otis was a prolific commercial and fine artist, best known for his sensual Art Deco images, especially those for Gordon Hosiery, where he perfected the photogram, using cut paper masks, a technique first popularized by Man Ray. Adept at several styles from Art Nouveau to Deco and master of various media, he excelled in illustration, photography, and metalwork, serving as President of the Silvermine Guild of Artists in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Samuel davis otis (1889-1961)
Dancer.
Gold-toned photogram on printing out paper, circa 1930. 210x160 mm; 8¼x6¼ inches, sheet, cornered to matte board.
Otis was a prolific commercial and fine artist, best known for his sensual Art Deco images, especially those for Gordon Hosiery, where he perfected the photogram, using cut paper masks, a technique first popularized by Man Ray. Adept at several styles from Art Nouveau to Deco and master of various media, he excelled in illustration, photography, and metalwork, serving as President of the Silvermine Guild of Artists in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Robert andrew parker (1927)
Bulgarian troops at Elso Beach meeting the British Lovat Scouts.
Illustration for the article “The Imaginary War of Robert Andrew Parker” in Esquire magazine, Volume L, number 6, December 1958. Mixed media with watercolor, ink, and gouache on paper, 450x723 mm; 17¾x28½, full sheet. Signed and dated “Robert Andrew Parker XII.20.55” on a piece of paper mounted to lower right corner; float-mounted to window matte and framed to 22½x33 inches. A copy of the magazine accompanies the artwork.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Bob peak (1927-1992)
“Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.”
Illustration for the same-titled story in</i>Cosmopolitan</i> magazine, July 1961. Tempera and charcoal on paper. 385x580 mm; 15¼x22¾ inches. Unsigned but with publishers’ marks on verso. Set into inset matte 28x20 inches.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Willy pogány (1882-1955)
“Prometheus had stolen this fire even from his own altar and had given it to men.”
Illustration of Prometheus from the chapter “The Mountain Caucasus” in Padraic Colum’s The Golden Fleece and the Heroes who Lived Before Achilles (New York: The MacMillan Co., 1921). Ink and watercolor on board. 254x208 mm; 10x8¼ inches. Unsigned on recto but with publisher’s notes and property statement on verso. Mounted to window matte.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Victor prezio (1924-1976)
“The River Raiders.”
Cover illustration for the book of same title in the Walt Slade series by Bradford Scott (New York: Pyramid Books, 1968). Gouache on board. 540x355 mm; 21¼x14 inches, on 24¼x17-inch board. Signed “Prezio” in lower left image.
Provenance: From the artist’s estate.
Victor Prezio was a prolific illustrator of magazine, pulp and paperback covers and stories in the post-WWII era. His work for such publishers as Dell, Gold Key, and Warren Publishing throughout the 1950s and `60s encompassed a range of popular genres from sci-fi, sports, romance, and western.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Howard pyle (1853-1911)
“The Drawing of the Sword.”
Illustration for the story “The Sword of Ahab” by James Edmund Dunning, published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, August 1904, page 327. Oil on canvas. 648x406 mm; 25½x16 inches, framed to 30x21½ inches. Signed “H. Pyle” in lower right corner and titled in his hand on label, verso.
Provenance: Freeman’s & Co., October 27-30, 1975, Lot 308; private collection, Philadelphia, acquired at the above.
Exhibited: St. Botolph Club in Boston, Exhibition of Work of Howard Pyle (February 24-March 10, 1906). Number 29; Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts (December 18, 1906 - January 6, 1907). Number 20; Brandywine River Museum, Howard Pyle, A Teacher, May-September, 1980.
Literature: Paul Preston Davis, Howard Pyle. His Life-His Work, New Castle: Oak Knoll Press; Wilmington: Delaware Art Museum, 2004, pages 51, 457, 760.
Estimate
$20,000 – $30,000
Henry patrick raleigh (1880-1944)
“There it stood on tiptoe in the candlelight, the mischievous truant from Eternity.”
Illustration for the story “Hide In The Dark” by Frances Noyes Hart, published in McCall’s Magazine, May, 1929, page 12. Watercolor, gouache, and ink on Academy Board. 330x407 mm; 13x16 inches, image, on 18½x21-inch board. Signed and dated “Raleigh `29” in lower right image; caption roughly penciled along bottom of lower margin.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Lance richbourg (1938-)
“‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson.”
India ink on paper, 1987. 763x560 mm; 30x22 inches. Signed and captioned on verso with artist’s fish stamp. Mounted to backing board and framed to 33x24 inches.
Realistic portraits of baseball players and game scenes are Richbourg’s primary subject matter. He was inspired by his father, Lance Sr., who was signed in 1919 by John McGraw of the N.Y. Giants and played professional baseball until 1938. “I would debate anyone that baseball is far superior to any other sport in terms of its beauty, the range of skills required to play, and its clarity and subversion of time. As an artist, I have been satisfied with the possibilities of depicting the light and space of the playing field and the grace of player movements amidst explosive action” (from the artist’s website).
Joseph Jefferson Jackson (1887-1951), often remembered as “Shoeless Joe” because he sometimes played barefoot as a boy, was a star baseball player with Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox in the 1910s. He was among the eight “Black Sox” players charged with accepting bribes to lose the 1919 World Series, although his batting average was a very strong .375 and he was charged with no errors in the field. He was banned from baseball for life, and later barred from entry to the Hall of Fame, decisions which remain controversial to this day. The resonance of Jackson’s story has transcended baseball and entered into American legend. The newspaper headline “Say it ain’t so, Joe” remains part of the national lexicon. He was portrayed by D.B. Sweeney in the 1988 John Sayles film Eight Men Out, and more memorably by Ray Liotta as a central figure in the 1989 film Field of Dreams. The Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum opened in his hometown of Greenville, SC in 2008. (Biographical credit and special thanks goes to Swann’s Americana Director and brilliant Baseball historian, Rick Stattler).
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Norman rockwell (1894-1978)
“Have You These Features?” Schenley Cream of Kentucky, whiskey advertisement.
Illustration featured in a print ad for Schenley’s “Cream of Kentucky” 90 Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey, published in Collier’s magazine, September 10, 1938 (and possibly elsewhere). Charcoal and colored pencil on paper, backed with archival paper and tissue. Image measures 377x148 mm; 14⅞x5⅞ inches, on 15x9¾-inch sheet. Signed “Norman Rockwell” in red, lower left image. Cornered to window matte and archivally framed to 21½x14 inches. A copy of the magazine accompanies the artwork. The ad appears on page 71 and is printed in opposite position to the original artwork.
Provenance: Schenley Kentucky Whiskey Company, Lawrenceburg, Indiana, 1938; Rainone Galleries, Inc., Arlington, Texas; Private collection, California.
Literature: L.N. Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, vol. I, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, pp. 522-23.
In addition to his prolific work for The Saturday Evening Post at this time, Rockwell was also in high demand for calendars and print advertisements. Throughout the late 1930s and early 40s, he created several illustrations for Shenley's, speaking to their ideal customer, the sensualist imbiber with "knowing eyes" who seeks a more luxurious style of bourbon. The copy reads: "If you are this type you'll like this bourbon that's Double Rich!’” An inset panel defines and arrow points to the specific physical features of Rockwell’s drawing of one such young man in the know, poking his head out from a shower curtain: “Have you these features? Eyes - of a type who keeps calm-cool-contented; Lips - that rejoice in luxurious living.” Presumably showering after a hot summer day, ready for a drink, as defined by the concluding copy “For you who love to bask in the cool luxury during summer warmth . . . the `Double-Rich’ Kentucky straight Bourbon in highballs is ideal . . . try it!”
Estimate
$15,000 – $25,000
John walter scott (1907-1987)
Hauling up the boat.
Likely illustration for Sports Afield, 1950s. Gouache on board. 183x303 mm; 7¼x12 inches, image, on 9¼x14-inch board. Signed in far left image. Window matte mounted to recto and framed to 11½x18½ inches.
Active as an illustrator for the pulps and slicks before WWII, Scott shifted to men’s sport and adventure magazines and ultimately to fine paintings of the Old West in his later years.
Estimate
$500 – $600
Amos sewell (1901-1983)
“Women are sure orn’ry.”
Illustration published in The Saturday Evening Post with their label on verso. Casein on gesso panel. 1457x560 mm; 8x22 inches. Signed “Amos Sewell” lower right.
Provenance: Illustration House, 1989; private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Pamela colman smith (1878-1951)
Woman in hat, from “Widdicombe Fair.”
Title-page verso illustration from a copy of the limited edition of Smith’s book “Widdicombe Fair” (New York and London: Doubleday & McClure, Co., 1899). Watercolor and ink on paper. 175x151 mm; 7x6 inches, image, on 13x10-inch sheet. Initialed below image, printed label from the book mounted to the right, printed sheet music from the book tipped to verso. Framed to 14½x11¾ inches.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Gordon s. smyth (1891-1942)
“The Cradle of Modern Textiles.”
Advertising illustration for the National Shawmut Bank of Boston, 1922. Oil on canvas laid on board. 495x800 mm; 19½x31½ inches. Signed and dated “S. Gordon Smyth `22” in lower right. Original black wood frame 23¼x26 inches. A copy of the print ad accompanies the artwork.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Saul steinberg (1914-1999)
Santa at the door.
Design for a Christmas card for Hallmark Cards Inc., 1953. Ink, watercolor, and collage on paper. 368x293 mm; 14½x11½ inches. Signed “Steinberg” in ink, lower left. Tipped to window matte. A copy of the printed card accompanies the artwork. Additionally published on the cover of Literary Cavalcade. A Monthly for English Classes Published by Scholastic Magazines, Volume 8, Number 3. December 1955.
Provenance: Private collection, California.
From 1945 to 1951, Steinberg created a popular series of whimsical black-and-white holiday cards for New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Soon after, in 1952, the greeting card giant Hallmark produced a series by famous artists and writers as part of their “Hall of Fame Collection.” Besides Steinberg, notables included Grandma Moses, Winston Churchill, Norman Rockwell, Doris Lee, and the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale. The job was a lucrative one for Steinberg, paying $10,000 a year. The addition of color, a feature that the MoMA cards lacked, contributed to the charm of Steinberg’s Hallmark designs. As described in the issue of Cavalcade, Steinberg felt “America’s Santa was getting too set in his ways,” with most depictions copying Thomas Nast’s iconic St. Nick of the 1860s. Steinberg therefore created his “liberated Santas” - embodying magic, fantasy and as “free as the imagination.”
Compared to the original artwork, which contains only Santa’s bright red suit and bits of silver paper doily collage serving as architectural details, the collage details on the mass-produced printed card are gold, and there is both an additional green paper appliqué on the center tower window as well as extra watercolor detail in the porch tree and doorway.
Estimate
$8,000 – $10,000
Albert sterner (1863-1946)
Baby’s First Christmas.
Illustration for an unidentified story, likely published in Collier’s magazine, 1912. Oil on canvas. 51x38 inches, on original stretcher bar. Signed and dated “Albert Sterner `12” in lower left corner.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Frank street (1893-1944)
“The horse’s hoofbeats were to the doctor a small heart pounding, faster, faster, faster.”
Illustration for the story “Night Call” by William Martin published in Collier’s Weekly, December 25, 1937, page 15. Oil on board, grisaille. 710x185 mm; 28¼x7¼ inches, image, on 30x8¾-inch board. Unsigned, but partial publisher’s description on verso.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Henry syverson (1918-2007)
Small archive of 13 drawings for Pan-American Airways (Pan-Am) ad campaign.
Illustrations and sketches for Pan-Am print ad campaign under the direction of J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, late 1970s. Graphite, pen, and crayon on paper. Average sheet size 216x279 mm; 8½x11 inches; one larger, folded folio sheet, and one mimeographed sheet. See condition report for all images.
Henry “Hank” Syverson was a leading American cartoonist and illustrator whose works appeared in many newspapers and magazines including Saturday Evening Postand The Week. He may be best known as the creator of the ubiquitous late 20th century office poster illustrating four guys laughing hysterically, crying “You Want it When?!” In the 1970s while working for the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, he was assigned the Pan Am account. The majority of the remaining drawings for this ad campaign are in the permanent collection of the Pan Am Museum Foundation.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,000
Thure de thulstrup (1848-1940)
“Funeral of an `Angelito’ in Recolita Cemetery-Ascuncion, Paraguay.”
Illustration of a funeral procession for an unidentified story. Gouache on board. 380x546 mm; 15x21½ inches. Signed “Thulstrup” in lower right corner. Matted and framed to 18x27 inches.
Provenance: Illustration House, 1989; private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Murray tinkelman (1933-2016)
“The Mask of Cthulhu.”
Cover for the mass market paperback of the August Derleth classic The Mask of Cthulhu (New York: Ballantine Books, 1976). Ink and watercolor on Strathmore bristol board. 457x343 mm; 18x13½ inches, image, on 24x19-inch board. Signed and dated “M. Tinkelman `75” in lower right image; publisher’s stamp on verso. Edges taped to 26¼x21¼-inch matte.
Provenance: Estate of the artist.
Exhibited: Norman Rockwell Museum: ”Baseball, Rodeos, and Automobiles: The Art of Murray Tinkelman.” 2014.
Murray Tinkelman was an award-winning artist who received illustration’s highest honors from the Society of Illustrators, New York Art Directors Club, and The Society of Publications Designers. His work 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 to those, he worked for publishers such as Ballantine, Berkley, Doubleday, Putnam, HBJ, Macmillan and Time Life, among many others. Tinkelman was 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. His shows included 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
$2,500 – $3,500
Murray tinkelman (1933-2016)
“The Lurker at the Threshold.”
Cover illustration for the mass market paperback of the August Derleth horror classic The Lurker at the Threshold (New York: Ballantine Books, 1976). Ink and watercolor on Strathmore bristol board. 393x293 mm; 15½x11½ inches, image, on 20x13½-inch board. Signed and dated “M. Tinkelman `75” in lower left image. Edges taped to 22x18-inch matte.
Provenance: Estate of the artist.
Murray Tinkelman was an award-winning artist who received illustration’s highest honors from the Society of Illustrators, New York Art Directors Club, and The Society of Publications Designers. His work 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 to those, he worked for publishers such as Ballantine, Berkley, Doubleday, Putnam, HBJ, Macmillan and Time Life, among many others.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Frederic varady (1908-2022)
“His And Hers Towels Put To Use.”
Illustration for the cover of Collier’s magazine, July 11, 1953. Gouache on board. 585x540 mm; 23x21¼ inches, image, on slightly larger board. Matted and framed to 31x29 inches. A copy of the magazine accompanies the artwork.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
John vassos (1898-1985)
“I will dance for you, Tetrarch.”
Illustration published in Oscar Wilde’s Salome: A tragedy in One Act. (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1927.) Gouache on Bainbridge board. Image measures 500x381 mm; 19¼x15 inches, on 25x20-inch board. Not signed. Early window matte adhered to board, chip to upper right corner.
Vassos “worked in a very limited palette of black, white, silver, gray, and their intermediate shadings, always to startling effect. He illustrated relatively few authors during his active years-Coleridge, Gray, his wife Ruth Vassos, and his favorite, Oscar Wilde” (John Anzalone). Vassos published this version of Salome after creating a program cover for a 1926 stage production, and followed it with The Ballad of Reading Gaol in 1928 and The Harlot’s House and Other Poems in 1929. “Wilde’s despondency and eroticism were perfectly portrayed with Vassos’ restricted palette of tones and shapes” (Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr.).“Art critic C.J. Bulliet called [Vassos]… ‘the first artist since Beardsley who has paralleled Wilde” (P.K. Thomajan). The play was first published in 1894 with illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley. “The text pages of [this] edition were showered with silvery stars, an added touch that befitted this historic lady of the evening.” (Thomajan). ADD REFERENCES.REWORK BIO:US industrial designer. Born in Romania as the son of a Greek publisher and diplomat, he served with a suicide minesweeper squadron in World War I, was torpedoed, rescued by a US transport and landed in Boston in 1919. There, he studied art and illustration with John Singer Sargent at the Fenway Art School.In 1924, he came to New York, opened a commercial studio called The New York Display Company, studied at the Art Students League, started as an illustrator for Harper’s and New Yorker magazines, and began in the practice of industrial design. He wrote, illustrated and published a number of fiction books: Contempo, in 1929; Ultima in 1930; and Phobia in 1931.In 1933 he established the first internal design department for the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), and remained as its consultant until 1964, while continuing to practice independently. In 1938 he was one of the founders and the first president of the American Designers Institute. He urged the breakaway of the group from the Designers Institute of the American Furniture Mart to allow designers to work on many areas, not just furniture design. He served as its president again in 1948.In 1939 he designed the first consumer television sets for RCA that were introduced at the New York World’s Fair, and he designed the theme and concept of the RCA pavilion there.With Alexander Kostellow, FIDSA among others, he developed early programs of industrial design education in the early 1940s and published Dogs are Like That in 1941. During World War II, he was with the US Army Air Corps developing camouflage techniques, and, with the forerunner of the CIA, twice entered Greece secretly by parachute to organize the underground.He was president of the Silvermine Guild of Artists in CT and was elected the first Chairman of the Board of the Industrial Designers Society of America when it was formed in 1965.
Estimate
$6,000 – $9,000
John vassos (1898-1985)
“Food.”
Illustration published in the book Humanities by Ruth and John Vassos (New York: Dutton, 1935). Gouache and ink on board. 600x450 mm; 23½x17¾ inches, image, on 26x20¼-inch board; adhered around perimeter to 29x23-inch window matte.
The Vassos’ powerful work on social issues, with text by Ruth accompanying John’s bold, graphic, monochrome images. The jacket copy aptly describes it as “The brilliant young American artist, John Vassos, employs his startling, symbolic technique to say the final word on the avoidable ills of today’s crisis. In a series of panels called ‘Nationalism, Justice, Disarmament, Ethics, The Leaders,’ etc., he has projected and focussed [sic] a message of tremendous impact. This book summarizes and makes clear the attitude and protest of the new America, as expressed by one of the country’s best-known artists.”.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
John vassos (1898-1985)
“Fleur de Jasmin.”
Bonwit Teller perfume advertisement. Gouache and ink on board. 560x406 mm; 22x16 inches, image, on 24½x19-inch board which is glued down around perimeter to 30x22-inch window matte.
A technically exquisite painting that shows the artistry of the glass bottle and the beauty of the exotic flower which has inspired “The perfume of Youth the delicate fragrance of the budding Jasmin blossom.” The luxury department store Bonwit Teller created their own proprietary fragrances. These “Personality Perfumes” were made in Paris exclusively for the shop, which the ad boasts in its modern sans-serif lettering.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
John vassos (1898-1985)
Nude in a labyrinth.
Illustration, likely for a book by Vassos. Ink and wash on board. 265x237 mm; 10¼x9 inches. Signed “Vassos” in lower left corner. Float-mounted to board and framed to 16x14 inches.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Ren wicks (1911-1988)
Confrontation At The Motorscooter.
Illustration for an unknown story. Acrylic, gouache, and pencil en grisaille on board. 590x464 mm; 19¼x18¼ inches on 20x19½-inch board. Signed “Ren Wicks” in lower right. Matted and framed to 25½x24 inches.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Theater, Film, Fashion & Costume
Cecil beaton (1904-1980)
Katharine Hepburn as Coco Chanel.
Costume design for Hepburn in the starring role in the 1969 Broadway musical “Coco.” Watercolor and gouache on paper. 647x503 mm; 25½x19¾ inches. Signed “Beaton” in lower right and with a rough sketch of Hepburn on the verso. Adhered to window matte along edges and framed to 34x28 inches.
Provenance: Palm Beach Galleries (with their label); private collection, New England.
Coco was Hepburn’s only stage musical of her career. Based on the lyrics and book by Alan Jay Lerner and with music by André Previn, it starred Hepburn in the titular role while Beaton created both its elaborate set and costume designs. Coco opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on December 18, 1969 and ran for 329 performances until its closing on October 3, 1970. The plot was originally focused on Chanel’s earlier years but when Hepburn, who was 62 at the time, was chosen for the role, the story line was changed to focus on the designer’s post-retirement comeback, a decision Chanel was not particularly thrilled about. Perhaps more flattering for Hepburn, it earned her the nominee for Best Actress in a Musical, and Beaton’s costuming, beautifully shown in this rendering of Kate owning the Coco look, won him the Tony Award for Best Costume Design.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Eugene berman (1899-1972)
Set design for “Roma.”
Watercolor, gouache, and ink on board. 290x385 mm; 11½x15¼ inches. Initialed, dated, and captioned along bottom: “E.B. 1955 / Roma Decor / Finale (Variation).” Tipped to window matte.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Eugene berman (1899-1972)
Flock of gulls.
Gouache, ink, and watercolor on brown paper. 440x310 mm; 17¼x12¼ inches, sheet. Faintly signed and dated “Eugene Berman 1952” in pencil on verso. Tipped to matte.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Umberto brunelleschi (1879-1949)
“Chanteur des Rues.”
Costume design for the production “Masque de Joie,” likely for the Folies Bergères, circa 1930. Gouache and graphite on paper. 343x254 mm; 13½x10 inches, sheet. Signed “Brunelleschi” in pencil, lower right, titled in upper right corner; notations on verso including cloth color indications. Tipped to matte.
Estimate
$500 – $700
Metrodoro conti (1810-1887)
Group of 6 scenic designs for Verdi’s “I Lombardi” and 3 designs Donizetti’s “Marino Faliero.”
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.
“I Lombardi” was Verdi’s second major commercial success after “Nabucco”. It was produced in Milan on February 11, 1843 with a libretto by Solera. “Marino Faliero” was first presented at Theatre Italien in Paris, 1835. The scenes take place in Trieste.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Jean dupas (188-1964)
Woman with silk shawl posing by hat stand.
Fashion drawing. Mixed media with ink, graphite, and gouache on board. 480x430 mm; 19x17 inches. Signed and dated “Jean Dupas 1929” in lower right. Tipped to matte and framed to 26x24. A few early repairs on verso. See condition report.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
William and jean eckart (1920-2000/1921-1993)
“Courthouse Corridor” * “Isolation Scrim/Jail Cell.”
Together, two set designs for the musical Here’s Love produced by Stuart Ostrow at the Shubert Theatre October 3, 1963-July 25th, 1964. “Courthouse Corridor” is gouache, graphite, and metallic paint on onion skin. two sheets overlapping and attached along edges. 431x571 mm; 17x22½ inches, image on slightly larger sheet. Signed by Eckhart and with United Scenic Artist’s stamp, lower right. “Isolation Scrim” is watercolor and graphite on board. 19¾x28¼ inches. Unsigned but captioned.
Provenance: the collection of Stuart Ostrow.
William and Jean Eckart created the scenic designs for this play which ran for 334 performances. The holiday story was written by Meredith Willson based on the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies and George Seaton. Both music and lyrics were provided by Meredith Willson.
Estimate
$1,000 – $2,000
Erté (romain de tirtoff 1892-1990)
“Reverie.”
Fashion illustration published in Harper’s Bazar, October 14, 1917, with their stamp on verso. Pen and ink on paper. 253x165 mm; 10x6 inches, on 11½x8¼-inch sheet. Signed “Erté” in lower right image. Verso has artist’s stamp and is titled, numbered “No 7” and creation dated “12 Juillet 1917” in his hand.
The magazine did not change its spelling to the double-a “bazaar” until 1929/1930.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Kenneth fagg (1901-1980)
Pin-up girl in white bikini and straw hat.
Gouache on board. 18x6 inches, on 30 1/2x22 1/2-inch board. Matted and framed to 34x30½ inches.
Exhibited: New Castle Historical Society, Chappaqua (with undated label).
Fagg was a prolific creative who worked as a director for 20th Century Fox and was a commercial illustrator in the 1930s and 40s, working for Life, Saturday Evening Post, Holiday, and other publications. He gained fame for his work on the world’s largest geophysical relief globe, exhibited at the 1958 Brussel’s World Fair and would go on to co-found Geo-Physical Maps, Inc. which became Rand McNally.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Frederick fox (1910-1991)
Dancers and characters.
Scenic design for an unidentified stage production, 1964. 210x430 mm; 8¼x17 inches, image, on 12½x20¾-inch sheet. Signed and dated “Frederick Fox ‘64” lower right image.
Frederick Fox was a scenic designer for theater, opera, and television. He designed scenery and lighting for Broadway shows and Metropolitan Opera House productions. He was a pioneer in television design, working on shows such as Admiral Broadway Revue (1949) and the Your Show of Shows (1950-1954) series.
Estimate
$400 – $600
William fregosi (20th century)
Scenic Designs for “The Mother of Us All”
Created for the New England Bicentennial production of the opera by Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thompson, presented by the Associate Artists Opera Company, February 27th and 28th, 1976. Tri-fold patterned cloth portfolio showing central stage with signage, flanked by side panels each displaying two additional scenic designs; all with matte board cut-outs to create the curtain and stage surround. Mixed media, including watercolor, ink, and colored pencil.
A charming set design for a Boston Bicentennial production of the famous opera about the life of Susan B. Anthony and the Suffragist crusade. Fregosi was a scenic designer and Technical Coordinator for Theater Arts at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The production was directed by David Dowart.
Estimate
$350 – $500
Edwin georgi (1896-1964)
Woman With Pearls.
Watercolor on Board. 317x419 mm; 12.5x16.5 inches. Signed and with provenance statement by the artist’s son, Carl H. Georgi II on verso. Attached to matte with hinging tape on verso and framed to 21½x17½ inches.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Jess goldstein (20th century)
Costume design for Woody Harrelson in “The Rainmaker.”
Ink, pencil, and fabric swatches. 305x226 mm; 12x9 inches, sheet. Initialed and dated “J.G. 1999” in lower right, captioned in upper left. Tipped to window matte.
Estimate
$300 – $400
A fabulous drawing of the Tony Award winning musical, presented and inscribed to Hugh Wheeler
115
Al hirschfeld (1903-2003)
“A Little Night Music.”
Illustration for the 1973 Broadway production at the Shubert Theatre, produced and directed by Hal Prince, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, published in The New York Times, February 25,1973. Ink on Saunders watercolor board, 1973, 590x532 mm; 23¼x21 inches, board. Signed “Hirschfeld 5 / Boston” in lower right corner and captioned by him along bottom. Archivally float-mounted in 25½x23-inch frame showing verso through window on back.
A fabulous drawing of the Tony Award winning musical, presented and inscribed to Hugh Wheeler and signed by Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, and the cast and production crew. Based upon Prince’s book, the musical A Little Night Music, opened on Broadway February 25, 1973. It ran for 601 performances, closing on August 3, 1974 at the Majestic Theatre. Directed and produced by Hal Prince, the popular Sondheim musical earned 12 Tony Award nominations, winning six, including Best Musical (Prince), Best Book of a Musical (Wheeler), Best Original Score (Sondheim), Best Actress (Glynis Johns), Best Featured Actress (Patricia Elliot), and Best Costume Design (Florence Klotz). A host of Drama Desk awards followed.
The cast and their signatures appear near their rendering by the great caricaturist. Shown left to right; Victoria Mallory, Garn Stephens, George Lee Andrews, Laurence Guittard, Patricia Elliott, Len Cariou, Glynis Johns, and Hermione Gingold. Prince’s signature is a bold red, Sondheim’s is close beneath it, along with that of co-producer Ruth Mitchell, the three surrounded by those of the other contributors including manager Howard Haines. Within all those lines, Hirschfeld still managed to hide five instances of his daughter Nina’s name, his famous, characteristic trope. A marvelous association work and a piece of Broadway history.
Provenance: Stephen Sondheim; Hugh Wheeler, presented to him by Sondheim; gifted by Wheeler to the current owner.
Estimate
$20,000 – $30,000
Mikhail fyodorovich larionov (1881-1964)
Sketch for four characters from Renard.
Character sketch for the chamber opera ballet by Igor Stravinsky featuring Fox, Cock, Cat, and Ram. Graphite on paper, 1920. 400x267 mm; 15¾x10½ inches. Signed and dated “M. Larionov, 1920” lower right image; marked “No 5” in his hand on verso. Tipped to matte and framed to 21x18 inches.
Provenance: The estate of Maita di Niscemi.
Stravinsky’s “Renard” was written in 1916, with a libretto based on Russian folk tales and fashioned as a burlesque. Larionov created the original set and costume designs for its first production by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes on May 18, 1922 at the Théatre National de l’Opéra, Paris. It was also the first complete ballet choreographed by Bronislava Nijinksa for the Ballets Russes. The original title of the work was The Fable of the Vixen, the Cock, the Cat and the Ram”; all are depicted here, the most prominent being the title character, Renard, the fox, or “Vixen.”
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Andre lhote (1885 - 1962)
Costume designs for “A Fairy” and “Titania” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Watercolor and ink on onion skin. 210x274 mm 8¼x10¾ inches, sheet. Signed “A. Lhote” in lower left and captioned “Fée” and “Titania” beneath figures. 1¾x2-inch section of Fairy’s skirt and feet excised. Tipped to window matte at corners.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Cora macgeachy (early 20th century)
Pair of costume designs.
Gouache and ink on board. The first, a woman in a gauzy Middle Eastern-style dress and turban, with metallic highlights; the second, a woman in a white beaded diaphanous gown and headdress. Each costume painted on an oval black background on board measuring 320x252 mm; 12½x10 inches. Signed “Cora MacGeachy” in gold ink, lower right image. Taped to simple black mattes.
Cora MacGeachy is one of the premier costume designers of the first quarter of the 20th century. She was the sole costume designer for several dozen Broadway musicals and revues, including a number produced by Florenz Ziegfeld and George M. Cohan. She also designed costumes in collaboration with others for many more shows.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Robert melendez (1944-)
Redheaded model wearing Traina Sport by Kay Unger and Jesper Nyeboe.
Illustration published on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily,February 25, 1971. Gouache on paper. 420x253 mm; 16½x10 inches, sheet. Signed, dated, and captioned “2/25/71 Melendez / WWD Page One”; signed on verso as well.
Melendez, still creating, was a leader in the field of American fashion illustration during the mid-to-late twentieth century. Working in a variety of media, his skilled draftsmanship allowed him to visually communicate with bold, energetic designs. Originally from Tampa, Florida Melendez moved to New York City to study at Parsons School of Design before being appointed staff illustrator for Women’s Wear Daily and Daily News Record from 1967 – 1991 and a staff illustrator for The Tobe Report from 1991-2005. His elegant drawings for Saks Fifth Avenue appeared in The New York Times from 1971-73 while notable clients included B. Altman & Co., Bonwit Teller, Plymouth Shops, Henri Bendel, and Bergdorf Goodman.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Zoe mozert (1907-1993)
“Set to Go.”
Pin-up illustration, 1957, reproduced for the 1959 calendar by Brown & Bigelow. Pastel on board, circa 1940. 813x610 mm; 32x24 inches. Signed “Zoe Mozert” in center bottom. Framed to 39x31 inches.
A classic portrait of a radiant beauty in a black lace bodice gown ready for an evening out, by the famous artist and model. Mozert, who descended from the school of Howard Pyle, having studied under his student, Thornton Oakley, at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art, became one of the 20th century’s top pin-up artists.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Norman norell (1900-1972)
Masquerade Ball Gown.
Fashion study, circa 1920s. Gouache, graphite, watercolor, and ink on paper. 559x381 mm; 22x15 inches. Signed “Norell” in pencil, lower right. See condition.
Known professionally as Norman Norell, Norman David Levinson was an American fashion designer renowned for his timeless and elegant couture which he sold throughout 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
$300 – $400
Norman norell (1900-1972)
“Manteux de Soir . . . Dessins `Indian.’”
Fashion study of woman in an Art Deco-style dress with American Indian design motifs, circa 1920s. Gouache, graphite, watercolor, and ink on paper, some details with metallic paint. 559x381 mm; 22x15 inches. Signed “Norell” in pencil, lower right; design details captioned beneath title: “Cuir Blanc/Singe Blanc et Noir/’Dessins Indian’/Eventeil de Coque.”
Known professionally as Norman Norell, Norman David Levinson was an American fashion designer renowned for his timeless and elegant couture which he sold throughout 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
$400 – $600
Norman norell (1900-1972)
Model in Carribean hat and dress.
Fashion study, circa 1920s. Gouache, graphite, and watercolor on paper. 559x381 mm; 22x15 inches. Signed “Norell” in pencil, lower right. See condition.
Known professionally as Norman Norell, Norman David Levinson was an American fashion designer renowned for his timeless and elegant couture which he sold throughout 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
$300 – $400
Sam norkin (1917-2011)
“Long Day’s Journey into Night.”
Caricature illustration of the cast of the original Broadway production of Eugene O’Neill’s Tony Award-winning play. Ink and wash on board, 1956. 435x558 mm; 17¼x22 inches. Signed “Norkin - New Haven” in lower right image. Archivally matted and framed to 24x28 inches.
Provenance: John Chapman, theater critic for the New York Daily News; by descent to family; private collection, Colorado.
Long Day’s Journey into Night enjoyed 390 performances from November 1956 to March 1958 at the Helen Hayes Theatre and won the 1957 Tony Award for Best Play. Depicted here is its main cast: (from left to right) Florence Eldridge, Bradford Dillman, Jason Robards and Frederic March. All four were nominated for awards, with March winning the Tony for best actor, and Robards and Dillman winning the Theatre World award. In addition, O’Neill won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Robert o’hearn (1921-2016)
Pair of scenic designs for “Of Mice and Men,” the opera,
performed by The New York City Opera, October, 1983. Woods / Scenes 1.1 and 3.2 and Barn / Scene 3.1 are both rendered in watercolor, crayon, and wash. 293x584 mm; 11½x23 inches, on 14½x26-inch boards, both with O’Hearn’s stamp on verso, and “Barn” signed by him, lower margin, with opera title at left.
Provenance: estate of the artist.
“Woods” has a matte taped down to recto.
The ballet version of John Steinbeck’s famous novel premiered in Seattle in 1970 and enjoyed numerous revivals before coming to New York. With a libretto by Carlisle Floyd, music by Christopher Keene, and direction by Frank Corsaro, this production received lukewarm reviews, though O’Hearn’s set designs were praised.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Robert o’hearn (1921-2016)
“My Fair Lady.”
Scenic design study for the 1956-1962 Broadway production at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. Watercolor ink, and graphite on stiff board. 240x425 mm; 9½x16¾ inches, on 12x18-inch board, window matte adhered to recto. Unsigned.
Provenance: the estate of the artist.
Though not listed in the landmark production’s staff, O’Hearn assisted the play’s set designer, Oliver Smith, who won the 1957 Tony award for My Fair Lady. The two went on later that year to work on the Broadway production of West Side Story.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Peter larkin (1926-2019) / stuart ostrow (1932-)
“The Train Station.”
Set design by Larkin for Ostrow's first, but unrealized musical We Take The Town by Peter Larkin, 1962, intended for production by Stuart Ostrow at the Broadway Theatre, New York. 560x380 mm; 22x15 inches, board. See condition report.
Provenance: Collection of Stuart Ostrow.
Ostrow began his work in music and theater as Frank Loesser's apprentice in 1955. By 1961 he had become the vice president and general manager of Frank Music Corporation, working on The Most Happy Fella, The Music Man, Greenwillow, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. By the time he was 28, Ostrow decided that he had enough experience to try producing on his own, and he flew to London to tell Loesser in person that he was leaving the company to produce his first solo venture, We Take the Town starring Robert Preston.
While "We Take the Town," with music and lyrics by Harold Karr and Matt Duby, along with costumes by Motley, never made it to Broadway, Ostrow went on to produce a great variety of successful shows. In 1963, he directed and produced Meredith Willson's Here's Love, based on A Miracle on 34th St. In the 1960s he also produced The Apple Tree (1966) and 1776 (1969), which received not only the New York and London Drama Critics Awards, but the Tony Award for Best Musical. (The Stuart Ostrow Papers, NYPL)
Estimate
$500 – $750
Robert passantino (1945-)
“Lady In Hat/Necklace.”
Cover illustration of the Women’s Wear Daily Spring Accessories advance catalogue Natural Insticts” published October 28, 1983. Rapidograph, pencil, and marker on vellum. 375x305 mm; 14¾x12 inches, sheet. Signed “Passantino” along left margin.
Passantino possesses an illustration style that is elegant, graphic, and sophisticated with a strong sense of design. He studied fashion design at Pratt Institute, New York and fashion illustration at The Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, before joining Women’s Wear Daily from 1969-1991. Passantino’s work has been featured in numerous fashion magazines and books internationally. His clients have included Bloomingdale’s, B. Altman & Co., Calvin Klein, Anna Sui, and Norma Kamali and his work is held in the permanent collections of The Frances Neady Collection of Original Fashion Illustration, New York, and Drexel University, Pennsylvania.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Russell patterson (1896-1977)
“Gold Diggers.”
Scenic design for an unrealized theater project, circa 1933. Gouache, watercolor and ink on board. 305x177 mm; 12x7½ inches, on 14²x9-inch board. Signed “Russell Patterson / Suggestion for production” on a piece of margin excised and inlaid into matte showing through window.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Anna (ann) peterson ( 20th century)
“Ada the Adventuress” * “Call Me.” Two circa 1920s/30s advertisements featuring sassy young ladies.
The first, advertising “Somebodies Shaving Lotion” features a pointy bra-clad woman in a swirl of fragrance with the copy “Ada the Adventuress, wowed with a whiff.” The second is of a curly-haired woman in a frilly spaghetti-strap dress and hair band, all with a valentine motif. Illustrations measure approximately 254mm; 10 inches high (width differs) on 15x11-inch sheets. Unsigned but with her business card “Ann Peterson Fashion Illustrator now located 461 Eighth Avenue-Suite 1506 New York City BRyant 9-6774.”
Comparing these illustrations and business card to those in the preceding lot, Peterson, had clearly achieved some more commercial and financial success - she has changed her name to Ann (from Anna), titled herself as a fashion illustrator, moved to a suite, and adopted a classier font on her business card.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Anna peterson ( 20th century)
Two Art Deco fashion illustrations of women elegant coats and dress.
The first is a single sheet showing two women in large wrap-collar fur coats and cloches, with a small detail of birds on wispy tree branches behind them The other of a lady in a frilled, shawl-like single shoulder draped dress with Asian lily motif, fan-shaped hair ornament and dangling earrings. Ink on Bristol board. Images measure approximately 254 mm; 10 inches in length, varying widths, on 13x9¾-inch sheets. Unsigned, but accompanied by Peterson’s business card “Anna Peterson, Artist” 110 West 40th Street, New York Bryant 9497.
Estimate
$300 – $400
(rko film studios)
“Irene Dunne * Walter Huston in Sinclair Lewis’ outstanding novel Ann Vickers.”
Advertising billboard for the 1933 RKO movie “Ann Vickers.” Artist unidentified. Oil on canvas. 560x1270 mm; 22x50 inches. Unsigned, but with RKO Radio Pictures patent label collaged to lower left corner. The film Ann Vickers was based on the popular 1933 novel by Sinclair Lewis about a prison reformer and a controversial judge who fall in love and have a child out of wedlock. It was made into a film that same year. It starred several popular actors of the period and was an instant box office hit, treating upon themes affecting women, including suffragist activities, social work and prison reform, adultery, divorce, and abortion.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Alec shanks (1904-1987)
Scenic design for “Steps by a Tropic Bay.”
Gouache on paper. 280x390 mm; 11x15½ inches, on 13¼x20-inch sheet. Unsigned, but on his usual Mongolfier watermarked paper and with a few indecipherable pencil notations on verso.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Saul steinberg (1914-1999)
Taxi Cab. Design for a play prop.
Created for a single-run play written by and starring Bokara Legendre titled Taxi, 1966. Cut-out design with pencil, pastel, ink, and stamps on brown paper. With Steinberg’s copyright/date stamp (1966) in lower center image. 407x673 mm; 16x26½ inches, attached in a few areas to 19x29½-inch board within a contemporary metal and glass frame by artist/framer Robert Kulicke.
Provenance: The estate of Maita di Niscemi.
Bokara was a breathtakingly creative artist, writer, performer, philanthropist, and television host beginning in the 1960s until her death in 2017. She was a familiar contributor to the famed New York storytelling group “The Moth,” performing numerous monologues based on her adventurous life, many of which were played on The Moth Radio Hour. She worked as a freelance journalist for several publications including the New York Times, was a long-time member of the Board of Directors for The Paris Review. As an ordained Buddhist minister committed to spirituality and philanthropy, she produced a 13-part television series on LINK TV in which she brought together notable teachers of various spiritual disciplines, many of whom were her close friends.
Di Niscemi was an assistant to stage director/playwright Robert Wilson. She was involved in the production of Taxi, and both she and Legendre were friendly with Steinberg through their New York City social and cultural circles.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Thelma terrell (1910-1993)
Two Art Deco fashion illustrations.
Ink on paper and watercolor, gouache and ink on paper. Approximately 320x220 mm; 12x8 inches on 15x11-inch sheet. Cornered to mattes within silver and glass frames, 22x19 inches.
Terrell lived and worked as a professional illustrator and graphic designer in Oakland, California in the 1930s and 40s.
Estimate
$500 – $750
William oden waller (1889-1976)
Plantation scene.
Scenic design for an unidentified production. Gouache on board. 260x440 mm; 10¼x17¼. Signed and dated “W. Oden Waller May, 195(?)8” on the verso with United Scenic Artists stamp.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Tony walton (1934-2022)
“‘The Apple Tree’ - Passionella Chimney Piece.”
Backdrop design for the musical The Apple Tree produced by Stuart Ostrow at the Shubert Theatre, 1966. Mixed media with celuloid overlay, collage, and dyed, handmade paper. 280x356 mm; 11x14 inches (full sheet with caption). Signed “Tony Walton” and captioned as given above, lower margin.
Provenance: the collection of Stuart Ostrow.
The Apple Tree ran for 13 months, with 463 performances. It earned several Tony Award nominations, winning Barbara Harris that of Best Actress in a Musical for 1967. For Walton, it cemented his reputation as a master production and costume designer.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Tony walton (1934-2022)
“‘The Apple Tree’ - The Lady or the Tiger - Doors.”
Backdrop design for the musical The Apple Tree produced by Stuart Ostrow and directed by Mike Nichols at the Shubert Theatre, 1966. Metallic paint and gouache on paper. 270x310 mm; 10½x12¼ inches (full sheet with caption). Initialed “T.W.” and captioned as given above, lower margin.
Provenance: the collection of Stuart Ostrow.
The Apple Tree ran for 13 months, with 463 performances. It earned several Tony Award nominations, winning Barbara Harris that of Best Actress in a Musical for 1967. For Walton, it cemented his reputation as a master production and costume designer.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Tony walton (1934-2022)
“The Garden of Eden.” Group of 9 scenic designs for The Apple Tree
mounted on four sheets. Nature scenes for the 1966 musical produced by Stuart Ostrow and directed by Mike Nichols at the Shubert Theatre. Three sheets contain two illustrations; a final, oblong sheet contains three. Pen and ink on paper. Images vary in size from 160x101 mm; 6¼x4 inches to 90x315 mm; 3x12½ inches. Initialed “T.W.” Glued down in corners to window mattes.
Provenance: the collection of Stuart Ostrow.
The Apple Tree ran for 13 months, with 463 performances. It earned several Tony Award nominations, winning Barbara Harris that of Best Actress in a Musical for 1967. For Walton, it cemented his reputation as a master production and costume designer.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
William weaver (1895-1937)
Pair of theatrical costume designs.
The first, an exotic dancer with beaded costume and feather headdress. Productions not identified. Watercolor and ink, with metallic paint, on paper. 255x203 mm; 10x8 inches. The second, a woman in medieval gown and collar. Watercolor, pencil, and metallic paint on board. 305x20 mm; 12x8½ inches. Both signed “William Weaver” in lower right.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Children's Book & Magazine
James barkley (1941-)
“Sounder.”
Complete set of 10 illustrations for the first edition of the Newbery Medal award winning young adult novel Sounder, by William H. Armstrong (New York: Harper & Row, 1969). Watercolor and graphite on paper mounted to Bainbridge board. Average image size 254x172 mm; 10x6¾ inches, on 14½x10-inch boards. Signed “Barkley” in ink, rectos. Early window mattes taped town over margins. One illustration reproduced in The New York Times Book Review, with their stamp on verso.
Winner of the 1970 Newbery Medal and an acknowledged landmark in children’s literature, Sounder traces the tragedies, and eternal faith of an African-American boy in the 19th-century South. Barkley beautifully depicted the heartbreaking young adult novel which begins when the African American sharecropper who has raised the titular dog, Sounder, from a pup, is hauled off to jail for stealing a hog, the only food they’ve had in days. In the fracas of the arrest, Sounder is shot, injured, and runs away. His eventual return, though tattered and emaciated, to await the return of his master, inspires to boy to also carry on, while struggling to adulthood and suffering the regular taunts and assaults by convicts and guards as he searches for his father.
Estimate
$12,000 – $18,000
Ludwig bemelmans (1898-1962)
“Miss Clavel again quite well. . .” from Madeline’s Christmas.
The penultimate illustration in Madeline’s Christmas, first published as a special insert in the 1956 Christmas edition of McCall’s Magazine and then in its first hardcover bound edition in 1985 (New York: Viking Kestrel). Ink, watercolor, and collage 1956. Signed “Bemelmans” in lower right. 743x545 mm; 29½x21½ inches. Partial existing inscription and rough compositional sketch on verso in red pencil. Archivally matted and framed to 35x27 inches. Professionally restored (see condition report for details).
The iconic “flying carpet” image from Madeline’s Christmas that depicts and Madeline and the all the girls on magic carpets, surrounded by gifts for their families, soaring and swirling around the Eiffel Tower to the cheers of Miss Clavel, Madame Marie, and Mouse. When everyone else gets sick in the old house in Paris all covered with vines, the smallest one named Madeline saves Christmas for Miss Clavel and the other little girls in two straight lines. Bemelmans includes a bow to Clement C. Moore: “It was the night before Christmas, And all through the house, Nobody was stirring, Not even the mouse . . . Because the mouse was in bed with a cold / Like everybody else in that house which was old.”
Estimate
$50,000 – $70,000
Ludwig bemelmans (1898-1962)
“The Red-Headed Girl.”
Gouache on Whatman board. 382x280 mm; 15x11 inches. Signed “Bemelmans” in lower center; original Hammer Galleries label on verso with caption. Framed to 16x12
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Maginel wright enright barney (1877-1976)
“Sunday by Charley Hanson Towne.”
Two illustrations flanking the manuscript poem “Sunday” by poet Towne, circa 1920. Gouache on stiff paper. 254x360 mm; 10x14¼ inches. Signed “Maginel Wright Enright” along lower right edge of illustration at right. Author’s signature and address penciled on verso. Accompanying the artwork is the original frame backing paper containing faint inscription and extensive notes by Towne’s sister indicating that he gifted it to her.
Barney (1881-1966) was the sister of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the illustrator of several children’s books, including those of L. Frank Baum, as well as cover designs and illustrations for numerous magazines throughout the 1920s-40s. She was successful and creative from an early age; during the depression and subsequent years, she expanded her repertoire into landscapes, needlepoint tapestry, and even fashion shoe designing. “She was largely responsible for revolutionizing the quality of illustration in children’s readers”–Walter Reed, “The Illustrator in America 1860-2000,” page 165.
Towne was a prolific and successful writer and editor in his day, at the helm of such major publications as The Smart Set and Harper’s Bazaar. In his later years, Towne taught at Columbia University and influenced a new generation of writers and poets including Catcher in the Rye author J. D. Salinger.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Berkeley breathed (1957-)
“‘Fly,’ Opus whispered to himself just before falling asleep. ‘I’ll be flying by Christmas morning.”
Illustration for A Wish for Wings that Work: An Opus Christmas Story (Boston: Little Brown, 1991). Watercolor and ink on paper. 305x336 mm; 12x13¼ inches, on a 14x15¾-inch sheet. Signed and inscribed in lower right margin: “For Esther who knows the true value of Christmas…exactly $501,000. Love, Berkeley.” Illustration previously mounted to board but shaved, preserving board; tipped to window matte.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Frances brundage (1854-1937)
Little Dutch Girl.
Illustration reproduced by the Niagara Lithograph Company, circa 1890s. Watercolor on illustration board. 330x254 mm; 13x10½-inch sheet. Signed “Frances Brundage” in lower left corner.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Harrison cady (1877-1970)
“Grandfather Frog & Danny Meadow Mouse.”
Illustration published in The Adventures of Grandfather Frog,(Boston: Little Brown Publishing, 1915). Watercolor and ink on board. 330x250 mm; 13x9¾ inches, image, on 14½x11-inch board. Signed “Harrison Cady” in lower left image. Tipped to matte and framed to
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Harrison cady (1877-1970)
“On with the Dance.”
Illustration of Cady’s famous characters Peter Rabbit and friends watching a ring of insects dance as Bobby Raccoon plays a hurdy-gurdy. Story or book unidentified. Watercolor and ink on paper. 227x260 mm; 8x10¼ inches, sheet. Signed “Harrison Cady” in ink, lower right image, captioned in pencil in lower margin. Loose and hinged to window matte.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Harrison cady (1877-1970)
Peter Rabbit busting Spider’s cobweb.
Illustration published for the famous story series by Thornton W. Burgess, but story not identified. Pen and ink on illustration board. 190x180 mm; 7½x7¼ inches, image, on 13½x12½-inch sheet. Tipped to matte.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Mildred bailey carpenter (1894-1985)
Women with Children.
Illustration for an unknown children’s story, circa 1930. Gouache on paper laid down to 14½x11½-inch board. 255x190 mm; 10x7½ inches. Signed “Mildred - Bailey - Carpenter” within decorative painted banner in lower right image.
Estimate
$350 – $500
Palmer cox (1840-1924)
“One evening Brownies, peeping down / From bluffs that overlooked the town…”
Illustration for the story “The Brownies on Bicycles” as published in The Brownies: Their Book (New York: The Century, 1887), page 19. Pen and ink on stiff paper mounted to card. 180x197 mm; 7¼x7¾ inches, image, on 12½x9½-inch mount. Signed “Palmer Cox” in lower right, captioned “On the Bluff” 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: “One evening Brownies, peeping down / From bluffs that overlooked the town / Saw wheelmen passing to and fro / Upon the boulevard below. ‘It seems,’ said one, ‘an easy trick / The wheel goes ‘round so smooth and quick / You simply sit and work your feet / And glide with grace along the street.’“
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)
“Then back they wheeled with every spoke, An hour before the thrush awoke . . .”
Illustration for the story “The Brownies on Bicycles” as published in The Brownies: Their Book (New York: The Century, 1887), page 24. Pen and ink on stiff paper mounted to card. 203x197 mm; 8x7¾ inches, image, on 11¾9¾-inch mount. Signed “Palmer Cox” in lower left, captioned “On the wheels” 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 end of the full caption printed in the book describing this scene reads: “So on through rough and smooth they spun /Until the turning-point was won / Then back they wheeled with every spoke,An hour before the thrush awoke.”
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
William wallace denslow (1856-1915)
Two illustrations for Denslow’s Three Bears book.
“The soup was now ready and they were all hungry…” page 8 * … and merry sports upon the icy lake or snowy hills in winter.” page 12. Denslow’s Three Bears. Adapted and Illustrated by W. W. Denslow (New York: G.W. Dillingham Co., 1903). Two pen and ink illustrations with graphite and correction fluid on a single Winsor & Newton illustration board. Illustrations measure 265x197 mm; 10½x7¾ inches each; the fullboard measures 15x21¾ inches. Each signed “Den” and with his seahorse monogram. Matted and framed to 18¼x26½ inches.
Among the most popular titles from the “Denslow’s Picture Books for Children” series for which he retold each classic fairy tale, eliminating incidences of cruelty and coarseness. Here, the bears feed, entertain, and protect the young orphan “Golden Hair” and her beloved grandmother in a gentle twist on previous traditional iterations that often presented the child as a greedy and disrespectful intruder in the bears’ home.
Estimate
$5,000 – $7,500
Grace drayton (1877-1936)
Campbell’s Soup Girl.
Illustration for the F. Wallace Armstrong Company, March 5, 1935. Watercolor, ink, and gouache on illustration board. 180x170 mm; 7x6¾ inches, on 14¼x11-inch sheet. Tipped to matte.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Grace G. Drayton was one of the most successful women illustrators of her generation. She studied with painter Robert Henri and became a freelance artist in 1895. She contributed to books, magazines and advertising campaigns, most notably for Campbell’s Soup. She created the ubiquitous Campbell Kids. She was one of the first and accomplished women to draw syndicated newspaper comic strips, and contributed the monthly “Dolly Dingle” paper dolls in Pictorial Review. She married Theodore Wiedersham in 1911; and after divorcing him in 1911, she wed William Drayton.
Estimate
$1,000 – $2,000
Clara atwood fitts (1874-1963)
Ice skating squirrel * Little bear in woods.
Together, a pair of illustrations, possibly intended for Fitts’ book Merry Animal Tales 1930s. Pen and ink on paper. 140x203 mm; 5½x8 inches, images, on 9½x11-inch boards. Initialed in lower corners. Matted and framed to 12x15 inches.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Henry justice ford (1860-1941)
“The Princess of Babylon and the Phoenix.”
Illustration for The Strange Story Book by Andrew Lang (London: Longmans, Green, 1913). Watercolor, pen, and ink on paper. 279x118 mm; 11½x7¼ inches, image, on 15x11-inch sheet. Signed “H. J. Ford” in lower left image, captioned along lower border and less formally, in lower left margin.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Ford was a prolific and successful English artist and illustrator, active from 1886 through to the late 1920s. Sometimes known as H. J. Ford or Henry J. Ford, he came to public attention when he provided the numerous beautiful illustrations for Mrs. Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books, which captured the imagination of a generation of British children and were sold worldwide in the 1880s and 1890s. Although Mrs. Lang wrote most of the tales and her famous husband only provided the introductions, these are known as the Andrew Lang Color Fairy Tales. This beautiful image of the Princess and the Phoenix was also reproduced as a lithograph.
Estimate
$3,000 – $5,000
Dorothea fox (1914-1999)
“Real Brain Food at Last” * “Diet for Heartache”
Together, two illustrations for American Weekly magazine. Watercolor and gouache on board, published 1947, with stamps and labels on verso. The first, published October 26, 1947 measures 14¼x13¼ inches. The label on verso reads: “The child who is slow at solving simple problems may show marked improvement after being fed glutamic acid, some scientists believe. In some cases, mental development was twice as fast as before treatment.” The second measures 19¼x13¾ inches. The label on verso reads: “When a child, I never got to a picnic because I always got sick with anticipation.”
Provenance: Illustration House, 1989; private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
The illustrations were clearly for a story or article on childcare.
Fox was a prolific and sought-after illustrator for her sensitive illustrations of children. She and her husband, the illustrator Charles Fox, drew all Carter’s baby clothing and underwear ads. Her work became known for animated families and cute babies and appeared in Family Circle, Life, Saturday Evening Post, Baby Talk, Two to Six, Women’s Home Companion, Ladies Home Journal and Parents magazines. She was also a regular illustrator of schoolbooks for Ginn and Company, the popular instructional readers. Most notably, in 1945, Dorothea illustrated Dr. Benjamin Spock’s book, “The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care” and continued to illustrate all revisions of that book through the sixth edition in 1992.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Harold gaze (1884-1963)
The Bubble Worm.
Illustration for an unidentified story. Watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper. 370x290 mm; 14½x11½ inches. Signed and dated “Harold Gaze 1955” in lower right corner. Tipped to matte.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Johnny gruelle (1880-1938)
“‘Now let’s run and hide from him, so he can’t find us!’ Raggedy Ann suggested.”
Illustration for Raggedy Ann’s Magical Wishes (Chicago: P. F. Volland Co, 1928), page 17. Pen, ink, and wash on board. 210x240 mm; 8¼x9½ inches. Not signed, but page number penned in lower right and publisher’s number written on verso. Cornered to matte.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Johnny gruelle (1880-1938)
“Christmas Greeting From The Raggedies.” from “Raggedy Ann & Andy.”
Watercolor and ink on board, 1931. 160x265 mm; 6¼x10½ inches. Signed “Johnny Gruelle” in the lower right; additionally signed, inscribed (as title above), and dated 1931 in lower left image. Cornered to matte and framed to 12¼x15½ inches.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Hilda hechle (1886-1939)
“In the snowy forest.
Illustration for an unidentified fairy tale. Watercolor on board. 280x220 mm; 11x8¾ inches, full board. Signed and dated “Hilda Hechle 1913” within decorative banner, lower left. Tipped to window matte.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Maud humphrey (1865-1940)
Two little sisters.
Illustration for an unidentified story. Ink and wash on paper. 15x10¼ inches, image, on 18x13-inch sheet. Signed and dated “Maud Humphrey `90” in lower right. Tipped to window matte.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Working within the Kate Greenaway tradition, Maud Humphrey Bogart was one of the first successful American women freelance artists and prepared the marketplace for Jessie Willcox Smith, Grace G. Drayton and the many others of the early 20th century. She was a prolific and hugely popular illustrator of picture books, greeting cards, and calendars that featured sweet little children. As the mother of actor Humphrey Bogart, she often used him as her model. He became known as “the original Maud Humphrey baby.”
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Sarah noble ives (1864-1944)
“Ride A Cock Horse To Banbury Cross.”
Illustration for Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes, (New York: McLoughlin Bros., n.d.). Watercolor, gouache, and ink on board. 280x280 mm; 11x11 inches, image, on 17x12½-inch board. Unsigned, but caption penciled in lower margin. Tipped to window matte.
Provenance: McLoughlin Brothers collection; Bonham’s New York, 2011; Heritage Auctions, 2003; Private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Helen jacobs (1888-1970)
“As the Elves lay sleeping, strong green blades grew up around them.”
Illustration possibly intended for an edition of Viola Bayley’s book Fairy Wings. Circa 1920. Pen and ink on paper. 300x315 mm; 11¾x12½ inches, sheet. Signed “Helen Jacobs” in ink, lower left and captioned on verso. Tipped to window matte.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Hilary knight (1926)
“Captain Boldheart - Gave the Word to Board.”
Illustration Captain Boldheart and the Magic Fishbone, Two Comedies by Charles Dickens with a preface by Mary McCarthy and illustrations by Knight (New York: Macmillan, 1964). Watercolor and ink on paper. 235x160 mm; 9¼x6¼ inches, image, on slightly larger sheet. Signed “Hilary Knight” in lower left image; matted and framed to 13½x10¼ inches, and with Knight’s label on frame backing. The artist’s copy of the first edition of the published book accompanies the artwork, his signed bookplate on front pastedown.
Provenance: Bonhams, 2018; private collection, New York.
“Captain Boldheart” and “The Magic Fishbone” were originally part of “Holiday Romance” (1868), the only juvenile fiction Charles Dickens published in his lifetime. In the 1960s, Macmillan editor Michael di Capua proposed the story to be included among a series of children’s classics he was producing, with new illustrations by prominent artists and commentary by notable writers. It was delayed, however, because it took so long for author Mary McCarthy to submit her foreword. As scholar Michael Hearn has observed, this image, with its cartoon-like violence reflects, Rockwell Kent’s 1928 illustrations depicting similar atrocities for Voltaire’s Candide that fascinated Mr. Knight when he was a boy.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Tatjana krizmanic (20th century)
“Iliana and the tiger.”
Illustration for Krizmanic’s book Iliana: A Winter Solstice Tale (Wide River Books, 1995). Ink & Watercolor on paper. 280x254 mm; 11x10 inches, sheet. Signed “Tatjana” in lower right image. Tipped to matte.
Born in Zagreb, Tatjana started painting at age fourteen. After studying at the University of Zagreb, she moved to Washington, D.C. where she completed her studies at Georgetown University. Over the next ten years she created paintings for friends and patrons, while working as an art director. Since her first exhibit in Boulder, Colorado, she has built a strong following, and her paintings reside in numerous private collections and museums. Her work is shown in galleries in United States, Canada, Europe and Japan (from the artist’s biography).
Estimate
$350 – $500
Arnold lobel (1933-1987)
“Toad opened his present from Frog. It was a beautiful new clock.”
Illustration for the story “Christmas Eve” published in Frog and Toad All Year>/i> by Lobel (New York: Harper & Row, 1976, page 64). Ink and watercolor wash over graphite, with printed text onlay. Image measures 89x76 mm; 3½x3⅛ inches, on 11¾x14½-inch sheet with onionskin overlay marked with printer’s instructions. Unsigned. Accompanying the drawing are two color separations, one each for brown and green, which are highly unusual to find with Lobel’s illustrations. Images measure to finished image, on 10x7-inch paper, unevenly trimmed. Green color separation sheet has job note taped to lower margin.
Provenance: The Artist’s Estate; Private collection, New York.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Florence pearl england nosworthy (1872-1936)
Young romance.
Story illustration for the New York Times magazine, circa 1915. Pen and ink with wash on illustration board. Signed “Florence England Nosworthy” in ink, lower image; artist’s stamp and notations on verso. Tipped to matte.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Arthur rackham (1867-1939)
“The beggar took her hand and led her away.”
Illustration for the tale "King Thrushbeard" published in Snow Drop and other Tales by the Brothers Grimm. (London: Constable & Company, New York: Doubleday Page & Co., 1920). Watercolor, pen, and ink over graphite on board. 260x185 mm; 10¼x7¼ inches. Signed and dated "A Rackham 14" in lower left corner; printing and ownership indications on board verso. Set in contemporary frame with U.S. Customs stamp on frame backing.
Provenance: Sotheby's London; private collection, New York.
King Thrushbeard is a cautionary tale about the beautiful but very haughty princess Anna who cruelly mocks each of her suitors including the handsome and charming young King Thrushbeard. Finally, she is forced by her exasperated father, the King, to marry the next man to arrive at their door, who turns out to be a beggar. Their ensuing life of poverty, hard work, and sacrifice teach the princess a lesson and turn her into a loving and kind person.
The image illustrates the text: "The beggar-man led her out by the hand, and she was obliged to walk away on foot with him. When they came to a large forest she asked, 'To whom does that beautiful forest belong? 'It belongs to King Thrushbeard; if you had taken him, it would have been yours.' 'Ah, unhappy girl that I am, if I had but taken King Thrushbeard!'"
In the end, the beggar turns out to be Thrushbeard in disguise, and Anna has learned to be kind and grateful.
Estimate
$8,000 – $12,000
Arthur rackham (1867-1939)
“Cock-a-doodle-doo! My dame has lost her shoe” for Mother Goose.
Two ink and watercolor drawings on one sheet of paper (together with two crowing rooster vignettes in the middle border, unused), mounted to board, published in Mother Goose the Old Nursery Rhymes (London: William Heinemann, 1913; illustrated as black and white line designs on pages 128 and 129). Full sight size measures 260x173 mm; 9¾x6¾ inches (each drawing, above and below roosters measure approximately 4x½x6½ inches); full board is 11½x9¼ inches. Each signed at bottom left: initialed “AR” in top image, “ARackham” in bottom; inscribed in pencil at bottom right margin “To Ernest Brown with kindest regards from Arthur Rackham Nov. 1913.” Attached to early matte along top edge and in original 21x17-inch frame (Charles H. West, London) with labels by Leicester Galleries mounted to the board and descriptive label by Sessler’s attached to backing paper.
Provenance: Ernest Brown (with presentation inscription)/Ernest Brown & Phillips, Ltd; Leicester Galleries, with their label; Mrs.. George Leon; Sessler’s gallery, Philadelphia; private collection; Sotheby’s New York 12 December 1995; Nina and Frank N. Manitzas, acquired from the above; Christie’s New York 4 December 2018; private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
Exhibited: “Artist of Fame and Promise,” Leicester Galleries, August 1945 (with their label indicating purchase to Mrs. George Leon)
In July 1902, Cecil and Wilfred Phillips opened a gallery in Leicester Square, London. The following year, Ernest Brown joined the organization, and they became Ernest Brown and Phillips Ltd., operating the Leicester Galleries, which became Rackham’s dealer for several years. To make his black and white published book illustrations attractive to art collectors, he would often add touches of color, as here, where watercolor touches were applied to the cockscombs, woman’s dress, and the fiddle have watercolor touches.
Estimate
$7,000 – $9,000
Agnes richardson (1885-1951)
Come with me.
Illustration of a sweet young boy and girl for an unidentified story, 1927. Watercolor and ink on paper. 217x179 mm; 8½x7 inches, image, on 13x10-inch sheet. Signed “Agnes Richardson” in lower right; initialed and dated “A.R. 13/12/27” on verso.
Provenance: Illustration House, 1989; private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Maurice sendak (1929-2012)
Catching Butterflies.
Partial storyboard panels for Episode IV of the Bell Atlantic “Wild Things Are Happening” Internet campaign, 1997, featuring six drawings of the Wild Things monsters (from Sendak’s classic children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are). Graphite on paper. 7½x9 inches, sheet, with drawings approximately 85x70 mm; 2½x3 inches. Signed “Maurice Sendak” in lower right corner and each image sequentially numbered by him in pencil at bottom: 15, 18, 35, 37, 45.
Estimate
$8,000 – $12,000
Maurice sendak (1928-2012)
Martin the Artist.
Illustrations for an animation project titled Very Far Away intended as a sequel/companion to the animated work Really Rosie (1975). Pen and ink and Watercolor. Each illustration measures approximately 100x100 mm; 4x4 inches and smaller, the full sheet measuring 8¼x10¾ inches. Signed and dated “M Sendak / May ‘75” in lower right. Archivally matted and framed to 17½x21 inches.
According to Sendak specialist Justin Schiller, Martin is a self-portrait of the artist, a kind of alter-ego representing how Sendak imagined how he would appear in that character role.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Maurice sendak (1928-2012)
“A very young mouse scurried up. He thought Little Bear was a tree.”
Preliminary sketch for “Little Bear’s New Friend” by Else Holmelund Minarik, published in Nick Jr. Magazine, December/January 2001. Graphite on tracing paper. 197x165 mm; 7¾x6¼ inches. Signed “Maurice Sendak” in pencil, lower right. Archivally matted and framed to 13¼x12¼ inches.
This appearance constituted the first revival of the beloved series “Little Bear” and its titular character after a 30-year hiatus.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Michael j. smollin (1925-2010) (sesame street)
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 calendar was published to coincide with the 1980 Olympics, and featured a race run by Sesame Street Muppets along the bottom of each month. This image was used for December, and shows the finish line with a female Muppet (Betty Lou) winning the race, trailed by Ernie, Bert, and an exhausted Grover (star of Smollin’s “The Monster at the End of This Book”) in the dust.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
(sesame street)
Winter skiing.
Sesame Street illustration circa 1980s featuring some of the show’s most beloved characters including Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Elmo, and Grover, engaging in winter fun. Ink and watercolor on paper. 413x302 mm; 16¼x12 inches. Unsigned.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Margaret winifred tarrant (1888-1959)
Titania and Oberon.
Illustration for an edition of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” (though it does not appear in her edition of Charles and Mary Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare (1918). Watercolor and ink on board. 228x177 mm; 9¼x7 inches, image, on 10x8-inch board. Signed “Margaret W. Tarrant” in lower left image. Tipped to window matte and framed to 20x17 inches.
Provenance: Kendra Krienke; private collection, Maine.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Nura woodson ulreich (1899-1950)
“I Saw An Oriental Dance.”
Watercolor on board, 1926. 225x170 mm; 8¾x6¾ inches, image, on 14¼x9¾-inch board. Signed "Nura" in lower right image, verso titled, dated, and with Ulreich's address in ink; contemporary frame measuring 17x14 inches and with original back board containing Dudensing Galleries stamp, price label, and seven exhibition stamps filled in by hand.
Exhibited: College of Art Association tour (1926-1930): Dudensing Gallery, New York, 1927; Markham Gallery, 1928; Kalamazoo Institute of Art, 1930; Mandel Brothers Co, Chicago, 1928; Arnold Constable, New York, 1928; Dayton, OH: Rike-Kumler Co., 1928.
Provenance: Artist to late Elmer Smith, NYC collector; collector’s estate to owner, Stedman, 1967.
Ulreich is known for her modernist, stylized images of children and scenes of childhood, often incorporating animals and nature. She studied art in her native Kansas City, in New York at the Art Student’s League, and in Chicago. There, she met her husband, the artist Edward Buk Ulreich, well known for his murals. In the mid-1920s, the couple spent time in Vienna and Paris, exploring modernist art before moving to New York, where both gained critical acclaim.
Though she fell into relative obscurity after her death, her work has recently enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance. Ulreich's oeuvre was recently celebrated through a marvelous exhibition at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art which featured the extensive collection of her work held by Kendra and Allan Daniel and curated by Nichols B. Clark.
Estimate
$1,000 – $2,000
Nura woodson ulreich (1899-1950)
Varying Moods of Childhood.”
Watercolor on board, 1926. 227x183 mm; 9x7¼ inches, image, on 14¼x9¾-inch board. Signed "Nura" in lower right image, verso titled, dated, and with Ulreich's Paris and New York addressed in ink and pencil; contemporary frame measuring 17x14 inches and with original back board containing title, Dudensing Galleries, NY stamp, price label, and five legible (of six) exhibition stamps filled in by hand.
Exhibited: College of Art Association tour (1926-1930): Dudensing Gallery, 1927; Florida-Palm Beach Art Association, 1928; Marshall Fields, Chicago, 1929; Kalamazoo Institute of Art, 1930; Grand Rapids Art Association, 1930;
Provenance: Artist to late Elmer Smith, NYC collector; collector’s estate to owner, Stedman, 1967.
Ulreich is known for her modernist, stylized images of children and scenes of childhood, often incorporating animals and nature. She studied art in her native Kansas City, in New York at the Art Student’s League, and in Chicago. There, she met her husband, the artist Edward Buk Ulreich, well known for his murals. In the mid-1920s, the couple spent time in Vienna and Paris, exploring modernist art before moving to New York, where both gained critical acclaim.
Though she fell into relative obscurity after her death, her work has recently enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance. Ulreich's oeuvre was recently celebrated through a marvelous exhibition at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art which featured the extensive collection of her work held by Kendra and Allan Daniel and curated by Nichols B. Clark.
Estimate
$1,000 – $2,000
Garth williams (1912-1966)
“Garth Williams First Alphabet.”
Rough sketch for an alphabet book. Graphite on tracing paper. 280x215 mm; 11x8½ inches. Initialed “G.W.” lower right corner.
Provenance: The estate of the artist; auction, 2014; private collection.
The sketch resembles the cover image composition of Williams’ 1957 book “Bunnies ABC” (later reissued as “Animal ABC”) and may have been a preliminary drawing before he decided to turn it into a bunny book.
Estimate
$500 – $750
George j. zaffo (1916-1984)
“The Big Book Of Real Fire Engines.” Complete set of book story boards.
Complete group of 15 original story board illustrations for the book written and illustrated by Zaffo (New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1950). Watercolor on board. Image sizes vary slightly by height, the smallest measuring approximately 260x483 mm; 10¼x19 inches, the larger ones at 343x483 mm; 13½x19 inches, all on slightly larger boards. All signed “Zaffo” in different locations. A copy of the book accompanies the artwork.
Zaffo was a superbly talented writer, illustrator, and designer of children’s books, with an output of over 95 titles over his career. An equally skilled technical artist and commercial craftsman, his commitment to accuracy, detail, and realism made his books stand out among others. An anecdote Zaffo told in print interviews and confirmed by his family supports his talent: Zaffo, who studied under Norman Rockwell for a year, bet his mentor that one day he would fool him with a watercolor version of a Rockwell oil and that the famous illustrator would not know which was which. Zaffo won the bet, and Rockwell conceded and signed the work. That signed painting remains a proud possession in Zaffo’s family. The bright and precise details in these images were painstakingly rendered as were those for similarly designed titles featuring machines and modes of transportation including Big Book of Real Building and Wrecking Machines, The Big Book Of Real Trains, The Big Book of Real Trucks. Their popularity led First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to acquire two of his titles for the White House children’s library.
Estimate
$3,500 – $5,000
Jane breskin zalben (1950- )
Beni’s First Chanukah.
Illustration for the cover and title-page image of Zalben’s book Beni’s First Chanukah (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1988). Watercolor and triple zero brush on Opaline pachment paper. 90x122 mm; 3½x4¾ inches, on 6¾x5¾-inch sheet. Signed “Jane Breskin Zalben” in lower right image, book titled at left.. Accompanied by a copy of the book, signed by Zalben.
The first title in Zalben’s popular Beni (the bear) Book series and the 1989 winner of the Sydney Taylor Silver medal, named in memory of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series author Sydney Taylor. The award recognizes titles for children and teens that exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Jane breskin zalben (1950- )
“Funny-shaped latkes.”
Two-page spread illustration in Zalben’s book Papa’s Latkes (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1994). Watercolor and triple zero brush on paper. 83x160 mm; 3¼x6¼ inches, on larger sheet. Signed “Jane Breskin Zalben” in lower right image, book titled at left. Archivally hinged to board with double window matte measuring 14x16 inches. Accompanied by a copy of the first large-sized edition of the book, signed by Zalben.
Part of Zalben’s popular Beni (the bear) Book series, Papa’s Latkes was republished four times, and in a series of different formats. This charming illustration features the series’ three most important characters: Beni, Rosie, and Sara. The full text for this charming illustration reads “Leo made his into strange shapes. No one would eat them.”
Estimate
$500 – $750
Comics, Cartoons, Caricature & Animation
(disney studios / animation)
“Giant” from The Brave Little Tailor.
A Disney Studios final clean-up drawing of the giant from the classic 1938 short The Brave Little Tailor. Graphite and colored pencil. 270x318 mm; 10½x12½ inches, on 12 field, 5 hole punched Disney studio paper. Frame number 98 at bottom right corner. Initials of clean-up artist G.S. at bottom.
The animation of the Giant in the film was helmed by the renowned Bill Tytla, famous for animating the characters Chernabog in “Fantasia,” Stromboli in “Pinocchio,” and Dumbo, among many others.
Clean-up drawings like this were the final stage of animation, which were then traced onto cels for use on screen. The matching frame appears 7 minutes, 40 seconds into the short, when the Giant claps his hands shut to catch Mickey the Brave Tailor only to find that he missed him.
Estimate
$400 – $600
(walt disney studios / hank porter / animation)
Two Christmas-themed illustrations of Pluto and Goofy.
Circa 1940s. Ink and colored pencil on board with frosted acetate overlays painted in gouache. 255x153 mm; 10x6 inches, main images, on 13½x10½-inch sheets. Both bear page numbers in the corners (Pluto, 3 and Goofy, 5).
A charming pair of the famous Disney dog characters Goofy and Pluto celebrating the holidays, by renowned Disney illustrator Hank Porter. The images depict Goofy “ringing in the season” with bells and Pluto receiving a bone as a present. As with most of Hank Porter’s works for Disney, the pieces are unsigned, but hallmarks of his characteristic style are present throughout: the style and quality of inking; the way in which both characters’ pupils are drawn; his advanced grasp of anatomy and affinity for certain types of character posing (including Goofy’s outstretched foot, similar to a number of other Porter illustrations ) and his style of drawing digits and dog paws; and the particular way in which the WDP copyright is written. Specifically, the style in in close keeping with his art produced in the late 1940s, as seen in cover art for publications such as Western Family, Pictorial Review, and Rexall Magazine.
Porter worked in effective anonymity under the Disney banner but made indelible contributions during his career to the areas of comics, magazine illustration, children’s books, and military insignia (among others). As the public becomes more aware of his diverse and prolific output, Porter is increasingly gaining recognition as an important illustrator of the 20th century.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
(walt disney studios / animation)
Courvoisier animation cel setup of Joe (aka Jose) Carioca from Saludos Amigos (1942)
Hand-inked and -painted Disney Courvoisier animation cel setup of Joe Carioca from Saludos Amigos (1942). Ink and gouache on celluloid over airbrushed background on paper. 240x240 mm; 9½x9C-inch (full sheet). Includes the original Courvoisier Galleries mat bearing the pencil inscription “Joe Carioca from Saludos Amigos” and the “Original WDP” stamp (heavily worn and not attached to cel).
Provenance: Howard Lowery auction (protective bag with their label from a 1980s-1990s auction still present; private collection, Ct.
<br The cel setup was prepared by Courvoisier Galleries in the same fashion as their other early 1940s offerings (including those for Pinocchio and Dumbo), carefully trimmed to the shape of the character and adhered to an airbrushed presentation background with dry brush highlights.
Saludos Amigos (which premiered in Brazil August 24, 1942 and February 6th, 1943 in the US) marks the debut of the charming green parrot Joe Carioca (renamed José in subsequent films), who appears in the film’s final segment “Aquarela Do Brasil.” Production cels from Saludos Amigos are by far the scarcest that exist of the character, with cels from the later The Three Caballeros and various TV appearances being far more common. Carioca gets a fairly scant amount of screen time in this very short (42-minute run time) feature; thus, relatively few cels of him were ever made, and far fewer have survived.
The matching scene appears 38 minutes, 38 seconds into the film, shortly after we are introduced to the character. Donald Duck asks Joe: “Samba? What’s Samba?” To which Joe replies “Ah, the Samba!” (this frame appearing during the word “Samba”) – which leads to a lively instrumental musical sequence.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
(walt disney studios / animation)
Lady and the Tramp Animation Production Cel.
Walt Disney “Lady and the Tramp” animation production cel from the Art Corner at Disneyland, 1955. 260x305 mm; 10x12 inches, cel sheet; taped around perimeter to original 12x14-inch matte from Art Corner shop at Disneyland with their gold authentication label on the verso.
The matching frame appears 1 hour 7 minutes 36 seconds into the film, as Tramp licks his wounds from his climactic fight with a rat who threatens the baby in Lady’s home. The style of matte, type of label, and date of production point to this being a very early example of an Art Corner setup, likely from the opening year of the park in 1955.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
The beatles / yellow submarine (animation)
Chief Blue Meanie enraged with Max.
Original animation cel from the feature length animated film (United Artists/King Features Syndicate, 1968). Single sheet of hand-painted gouache on celluloid, with production notations in ink in lower margin reading “Att.1/Sc3/CM-54”. 315x406 mm; 12¼x16 inches. Loose and framed.
The design of the Chief Blue Meanie and his minions is attributed to German illustrator Heinz Edelmann, and not, as was often thought, Peter Max.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
(depatie-freleng studios / animation)
Two Pink Panther Animation Cels.
Created for film shorts “Pink-A-Boo” (released June 26, 1966) and “Pink Valiant” (released July 10, 1968). Gouache and (and on first, red grease pencil) over celluloid sheets. First image measures approximately 76x152 mm; 4x6 inches, the second is 75x101 mm; 3x4 inches; each on 10½x12½-inch sheet.
The Pink Panther has appeared in numerous films and television shows since his debut in the opening titles of the classic 1963 Blake Edwards film. Production cels from the 1960s cartoons such as these are scarce.
The Pink-A-Boo scene frame appears 3 minutes, 2 seconds into the short, when the Panther walks up to his nemesis mouse’s hole to investigate the mob of mice that has just stormed his house, toting musical instruments and champagne.
The second cel from Pink Valiant appears near the end of the short at 5 minutes, 45 seconds, as Pink Valiant (an obvious spoof of Hal Foster’s comic creation) proudly bows to a livid king, to whom he has just presented the “rescued” Black Knight, in lieu of the kidnapped princess. DePatie-Freleng switched to using black Xerox lines later in the 1960s, as seen in this cel. The cel also bears a seldom seen period Geoffrey-Mirisch-Depatie copyright label.
The 1960s DePatie-Freleng Pink Panther shorts were in many ways direct successors to the classic Warner Bros cartoons, especially since they were made by many of the same staff (e.g. both films were directed by Warner veteran Hawley Pratt).
Estimate
$500 – $750
(don bluth studios / animation)
“An American Tail” hand-painted limited edition cel.
Hors commerce proof produced by MCA Universal / Amblin Studios. Silkscreened black lines on recto, hand-painted in color acrylic on reverse, over color print background, as issued. 343x420 mm; 13½x16½ inches, sheets. Marked “HC 1/10” in ink; gold MCA Universal / Amblin Entertainment seal stamp in lower right corner of celuloid.
The image features a heartwarming scene of young Fievel and Tanya Mousekewitz gathered around Papa as he tells them stories. This is a special example of a scarce cel, produced as a very small edition of 100, since it is marked as the first HC artist’s proof, which was never intended for sale. An American Tail is the story of the Mousekewitzes, a family of Russian-Jewish immigrant mice, which focuses on young Feivel’s journey to reunite with them. The film was a box office success and provided further proof that Don Bluth’s “upstart” studio could be formidable competition to Disney.
Estimate
$600 – $900
(the simpsons / animation)
“I Envy You and Homer.”
Simpsons animation layout drawing of Marge and her cohort Ruth Powers from the 6th episode of Season 5 “Marge On The Lam,” which first aired November 6th, 1993. Colored pencil and graphite on 12-field animation paper. 260x305 mm; 10¼x12 inches, sheet. Caption and notations in margins. Framed to 15½x17½ inches.
With a plot that riffs on the 1991 film “Thelma and Louise,” “Marge on the Lam” is a well-known episode from what many fans consider one of the long-running show’s best seasons. The scene depicted here begins 6 minutes, 26 seconds into the episode, when Marge and her new friend Ruth bond over coffee at “Jittery Joe’s Coffee Shop,” and Ruth confesses: “I envy you and Homer,” which is written in the dialogue note at the top of the drawing.
Estimate
$400 – $600
(norman bridwell / animation)
Clifford the Big Red Dog animation cel setup.
Together, two animation cel setup of Norman Bridwell’s “Clifford the Big Red Dog” walking alongside his best friend Emily Elizabeth. Clifford image measures 6x10 inches, Emily measures 3½x2 inches, both on 10¼x15-inch sheets, production markings along bottom edge. WITH: the matching pencil drawing of Clifford used to create the cel, drawn to same dimensions above. A color print background is included for presentation purposes. A color photocopy of the animation background provided for visual context.
The character designs, production markings, and age of the cels indicate that setup is most likely related to the production of a series of 6 educational video co-produced by Scholastic, Lee Mendelson, and Bill Melendez Productions (creators of Peanuts, etc), and the Canadian animation studio Nelvana. This was the first animated series of any kind to feature Clifford. Cels from the series are scarce.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Charles addams (1912-1988)
Dungeon Dinner.
Likely illustration for Town and Country magazine, circa 1975. Pen, ink, watercolor, and wash on board. 277x250 mm; 10 7/8x9¾ inches, image, on 18½x13¾-inch board. Signed “Chas Addams” in ink, lower right image. Small remnant of Town and Country label still attached to verso. Recently restored; please see full report.
A fabulous image full of classic Addams tropes. The host addressing his anxious guest resembles his Addams Family character Uncle Fester, in a semi self-caricature that the cartoonist sometimes incorporated into his cartoons and illustrations.
Estimate
$3,000 – $4,000
Charles addams (1912-1988)
Two-headed baby.
Original illustration with inscription to his friend, Charlotte Adams on front free endpaper of Addams’ book Drawn and Quartered (New York: Random House, 1942. First edition, lacking dust jacket).
In addition to their near-identical surnames (his with a double “d”), they shared the nickname “Charlie.” He humorously inscribed it to her thus, with a drawing of a lightly self-portraitized couple gazing at their hideous offspring, a two-headed baby with grim faces and the caption “He looks a little like both of us, don’t you think?” and signed “Chas Addams” below.
Adams was a highly esteemed cookbook editor, writer, and critic. She authored the bestselling The Four Seasons Cookbook with James Beard for home cooks and fans of Manhattan’s famous “it” restaurant. A bon vivant as much as a gastronome, she befriended Addams among many within the New Yorker and New York Times social circles.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Charles barsotti (1933-2014)
“And then before I know it, he shouts ‘SHAZAM!’ and that’s it for the night.” * “Oh, I can still fly OK. What I said was I can’t get it up.”>
Together, two original cartoon for Playboy> magazine, with their copyright stamps in margins. Both are pen, ink, and correction fluid on paper, taped to Playboy inventory cardstock. Both are approximately 191x241 mm; 7½x9½ inches, taped to 9½x11¾-inch sheet. Signed “C. Barsotti” in lower left image.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Alfred bendiner (1899-1964)
“The Traymore.” Atlantic City.
Cartoon featuring the Atlantic City, NJ resort hotel with victorian boardwalk and beachgoers. Publication unknown. Pen and ink on paper. 445x365 mm; 17½x14½ inches, image, mounted to slightly larger board.
The Traymore began as a small boarding house in 1879, but expanded to become one of the city’s premier resorts. Throughout the 1950-60s, as Atlantic City began to decline in its popularity as a resort town, the Traymore diminished in popularity and began to decline. It was demolished in 1972, only four years before the New Jersey State legislature passed the referendum that legalized gambling in Atlantic City.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Jim borgman (1954-)
“Honest! I Pardoned Dr. Lecter Strictly on the Merits of His Case.”
Political cartoon published in the Cincinnati Enquirer, 2001. 235x356 mm; 9½x14 inches, image. Signed and dated in the upper left, inscribed and signed again on matte board; framed to 15x20 inches.
The cartoon references Bill Clinton’s controversial pardoning of financial criminal Marc Rich by comparing him to the infamous serial killer Hannibal Lecter from the horror film “Silence of the Lambs.” Jim Borgman is notable for his political cartoons and as the artist of the long-running syndicated comic strip “Zits.”
Estimate
$600 – $900
Dik browne (1917-1989)
“Short Vincent didn’t pay his taxes.”
Original “Hägar the Horrible” daily comic strip, published August 6, 1975, with King Features Syndicate pastedown. Pen and ink with correction fluid on Bristol board. 90x292 mm; 3½x11½ inches, on 4½x12¾-inch sheet. Signed “Dik Browne” and dated in last panel.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Ernie (ernest paul) bushmiller (1905-1982)
“Whirlwind for Nancy.” Nancy Daily Comic Strip.
Four-panel strip dated September 21, 1946. Ink on Bristol board. 125x473 mm; 4¾x18¾ inches, image, on 6¼x21-inch sheet. Unsigned, but with United Features Syndicate stamp and inked date in third panel, titled by the artist in blue pencil on verso.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Ernie (ernest paul) bushmiller (1905-1982
“Now Nancy’s All Set.” Nancy Daily Comic Strip, 1946.
Four-panel strip dated October 9, 1946. Ink on Bristol board. 125x473 mm; 4¾x18¾ inches, image, on 6¼x21-inch sheet. Signed “Ernie Bushmiller” and dated in the last panel, United Features Syndicate, Inc. stamp, and titled by the artist in blue pencil on verso.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Ernie (ernest paul) bushmiller (1905-1982)
Pair of Nancy Daily Comic Strips, 1946.
“An Untrue tail” dated October 3 * “But It’s All in the Family” dated October 3. Together, two consecutive strips featuring Nancy and Sluggo testing out a lie detector. Ink on Bristol board. 125x473 mm; 4¾x18¾ inches, images, on 6¼x21-inch sheets. The first signed “Ernie Bushmiller” in the second panel, both with United Features Syndicate, Inc. stamps and dated, titles in blue pencil on versos.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Alan d’egville (1891-1951)
“Drinks and the Men.”
Cartoon, circa 1930. Ink and watercolor on board. 330x235 mm; 13x9¼ inches, image, on 15x10½-inch board. Signed “d”Egville” in lower right corner. Tipped to window matte and framed to 20x16 inches.
Alan Hervey D’Egville was a prolific and multi-talented cartoonist, writer and actor, whose cartoons were published in such venues as Punch and The New Yorker.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Bud fisher (harry conway 1885-1954)
“The Goddess of the Chase.” Mutt and Jeff daily comic strip, 1929.
Four-panel strip published in the Fort Worth, Texas The Star Telegram December 27, 1929. Titled and dated 12-27 in first panel and Bell Syndicate stamp in lower margin. Ink over graphite on Bristol board. 280x762 mm; 11x30 inches, sheet. Signed “Fisher” and with copyright pastedown in fourth panel.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Daniel fitzpatrick (1891-1969)
“The Education of The Prince of Wales.”
Editorial cartoon published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch February 1, 1929. Graphite, ink, and wax crayon on paper. 432x356 mm; 17x15 inches, image, on 19x17-inch sheet. Signed “Fitzpatrick” in lower right image, and publisher’s label on verso.
The image depicts then Prince Edward of Wales (soon to become the shortest-reigning King and then Duke, following his notorious abdication), who visited poverty-stricken areas throughout Britain and the Empire between 1919 and 1935.
Fitzpatrick won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work; one in 1926 and the other in 1955.
Estimate
$400 – $600
James montgomery flagg (1870-1960)
Group of 4 proposed U.S. Army post card designs including “I Want You.”
Proposed but unpublished designs. Graphite and ink wash on paper. 216x140 mm; 8½x5½ inches, sheets. Each initialed “J.M.F.” in pencil, lower left corner. With two original descriptive sales and property slips by the A.D. Steinbach & Sons department store, New Haven, Ct on their letterhead.
The first image is a sly, self-referential work showing a soldier enthusiastically saluting Uncle Sam in Flagg’s own famous “I Want You” recruitment poster, the most iconic of all World War Two posters.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
James montgomery flagg (1870-1960)
Group of 5 WWII-era cartoon roughs.
Watercolor and ink drawings, circa 1945. 212x280 mm; 8½x11 inches. Signed, “J.M.F.,” “Monty,” or in full, cartoons, each with holograph caption; one dated [19]44.
Estimate
$1,000 – $2,000
Aline fruhauf (1907-1978)
“Max Weber.”
Illustration published in Fruhauf’s book Making Faces: Memoirs of a Caricaturist, page 170 (Lanham, Maryland: Seven Locks Press, 1987). Watercolor with graphite on paper, 1937. 170x182 mm; 6¾x7¼ inches, image, on 9x10-inch sheet. Signed “Aline Fruhauf” in upper right corner, captioned “Weber” in pencil, lower margin. Matted to 21x14 inches. A First Edition copy of the book accompanies the artwork.
Provenance: Graham Gallery (label on frame backing); private collection, New York.
Exhibited: Corcoran Gallery of Art, “Aline Fruhauf: Caricatures,” September 24-November 6, 1977 (label on frame backing).
Fruhauf was a successful and ambitious painter and caricaturist who studied at Parson’s School of Design and The Art Students League. She is best known for her caricatures of celebrities in the worlds of theater, art, literature, politics, and law. For this image of the great modern painter among a restrospective group of his works, she admitted to finding herself “getting right into the paintings, absorbing their spirit, content, and brushwork.” Having put so much emphasis on Weber’s work than the artist himself, she put his “modest head and shoulders” in the right hand corner of the work as if he were the signature” identifying the works on the wall above him (page 170). “The Aline Fruhauf Papers” at the Archives of American Art research collection contains the majority of her personal correspondence and much of her art on paper.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Robert grossman (1940-2018)
“Wales Beached in New York.”
Cover illustration published in The New York Observer, November 5, 2005. Airbrush and ink on Bristol Board. 240x210 mm; 9 1/2x8 1/4 inches, sight. Initialed "R.G." in lower left image, captioned and dated in pencil, lower margin; verso with artist's stamp, copyright statement, date, and description.
Robert Grossman was a prolific creator across all media, including painter, sculptor, filmmaker, and author, in addition to his work as a caricaturist and political cartoonist. From the 1960s until his death in 2018, his illustrations appeared on the covers and within the pages of such magazines and newspapers as The New York Times, New York Magazine, Newsweek, Esquire, Rolling Stone, The Nation, The New Yorker and The New York Observer.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Maira kalman (1949-) & rick meyerowitz (1943-)
“Map of the World by Me (Stable Genius).”
Illustrated map that appeared in issue #07/2019 of the Berlin letterpress magazine P98a PAPER published by Erik Spiekermann (Berlin, 2019) and reprinted as the November 2020 calendar page in </i>The American Bystander.</i> Watercolor, pen and ink. 270x425 mm; 10½x16¾ image, on 15x21-inch sheet. Signed “Maira Kalman & Rick Meyerowitz” in pencil, by each, lower right margin.
Provenance: Property of the artists.
The map was created over a weekend (January 12-14, 2018) by Maira Kalman and Rick Meyerowitz in response to Donald Trump publicly calling certain countries “Shitholes.” In the artists’ words: “We knew right away we had to respond, and the logical thing for us was to make a map. We spent a day ping-ponging country names off each other, and sketching maps. It would be Trump’s map, drawn by him, not us, and he’d think everyplace in the world he didn’t own is a Shithole. The sketches and the names were so much fun you could hardly call it work, and the final map is one of the best things we’ve done together.”
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
D. karbonik & f. lind (richard corben 1940-2020)
“Dukmous: The Man With The Head Of An Ape.” from Fantagor #2
Three-sheet comic strip, published in 10 pages within Fantagor #2 (Rip Off Press, 1972). Pen and ink on paper. 597x444 mm; 23½x17½ inches, full sheets. Signed and dated ©D. Karbonik 1969 and F. Lind” bottom right panel of first sheet; calligraphed note in same panel “Story and pencils - F. Lind / Inks & Lettering - D.”
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
David levine (1926-2009)
Igor Stravinsky.
Caricature from the article “Stravinsky at Eighty-five: An Interview” published in The New York Review of Books, June 1, 1967. Pen and ink on paper. 228x177 mm; 9x7 inches, image, on 10½x9¾-inch sheet. Signed and dated “D. Levine 67” in lower right image; “Stravinsky N.Y.R. 1967” inked on verso. Tipped to window matte and framed to 17½x14½ inches.
Provenance: Forum Gallery; Rick Meyerowitz, purchased from the above.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Alexander leyedenfrost (1881-1961)
“The Axis Powers dividing up the World.”
Cartoon or illustration for an unknown publication, circa 1940. Ink, charcoal, and wash on stiff paper. 200x270 mm; 7¾x10¾ inches, sheet. Unsigned.
Estimate
$600 – $900
Don martin (1931-2000)
“Early One Morning in South America.” MAD Magazine #195.
Complete one-page story published in MAD Magazine #195 (E.C. Publications, 1977), page 15. Ink on Bristol board, Rubylith shading overlay taped loosely over image. 583x440 mm; 23x17¼ inches. Signed "D. Martin" lower right, captioned along verso bottom.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Don martin (1931-2000)
“Early One Morning in South America.” MAD Magazine #196.
Complete one-page story published in MAD Magazine #196 (E.C. Publications, 1978), page 11. 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 Morning in an Old English Forest. 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
[otto messmer (1892-1983)] (pat sullivan)
“Gosh darn - here comes another day to be blue in.” “Felix the Cat” Sunday comic.
Original “Felix the Cat” Sunday comic, published April 2, 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. Dated 4-2 and signed “Pat Sullivan” in last panel.
Messmer worked for the Pat Sullivan Studios, who claimed credit for the character.
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
[otto messmer (1892-1983)] (pat sullivan)
“You’re all set now - this is your home.” “Felix the Cat” Sunday comic.
Original “Felix the Cat” Sunday comic, published June 25, 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. Not signed but dated 6-25 in last panel.
Messmer worked for the Pat Sullivan Studios, who claimed credit for the character.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Rick meyerowitz (1943-)
“W. C. Fields Takes His Shot.”
Caricature of the great comedic actor, reproduced as a poster in 1970. Mixed media on board 406x254 mm; 16x10 inches, image, on 19x14-inch board. Signed “Rick Meyerowitz” in lower left.
Provenance: Property of the artist.
Exhibited: Society of Illustrators, 1970.
The artist had just returned from seeing W.C. Fields in the film “Six of a Kind” in one scene of which he is playing pool and studies a bent cue carefully to see if it’s straight. He was inspired by Fields’ performance to capture something of his droll lunacy in a drawing.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Joe musial (1905-1977)
Katzenjammer Kids. 2-page spread for animated book.
Published in Illustration for The Katzenjammer Kids Animated Novelty Book(John Martin’s House, Inc., 1945). Pen and ink on artist board. 432x254 mm; 17x10 inches, sheet. Not signed, but with editorial marks in margins and verso.
This illustration contains the designs for all the components of the die-cut paper machinery included on a single spread. The action in the final book works as follows: when the lever is pushed down, the Katzenjammers Hans and Fritz hide in a tree while their rival Rollo pricks The Captain with a pin, who then jumps in the air. The book is credited to Harold Knerr, but the interior illustrations far more closely resemble the hand of Joe Musial, a long-time staff artist at King Features who did ghost work for a range of comic strips. Around this time Musial drew many memorable covers for the Ace Comics Katzenjammer Kids series. Musial officially took over the Katzenjammer Kids comic strip duties in 1956.
Estimate
$400 – $600
Jean-jacques-sempé (1932-2022)
Fancy cyclist and tiny boy on training wheels.
Cartoon for an unknown publication, 1977. Pen and ink on paper. 270x482 mm; 10½x19 inches. Signed and dated “Sempé 1977” in lower right; framed to 13½x21½ inches.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
Edward sorel (1929-)
Richard Nixon as W.C. Fields.
Pen, ink, and collage on paper, circa 1970. 440x395 mm; 17¼x15½. Signed and dated “Edward Sorel ‘70” in ink, upper left image.
Provenance: Leo Castelli Gallery; Rick Meyerowitz, purchased from the above, 1972.
In this sly caricature, Sorel depicts “Tricky Dick” Nixon hiding his hand of cards a la actor/comedian W. C. Fields in his famous role as conman Cuthbert J. Twillie in the 1940 film “My Little Chickadee.” Here, Sorel reveals Nixon’s hand in a visual bubble where we see that he is holding a terrible hand; a busted flush and a busted straight; his only move now is to bluff the other players at the table into thinking he holds better cards then he does.
Estimate
$3,500 – $5,000
Edward sorel (1929-)
“Ziegler, Ruckleshouse, Kleindienst . . . March in New York’s Von Steuben’s Day Parade.”
Cartoon. The full caption reading “Ziegler, Ruckleshouse, Kleindienst, Shultz, Erlichman, Klein, Haldeman, and Kissinger March in New York’s Von Steuben’s Day Parade.” Watercolor, pen and ink on paper, mounted to captioned Bristol board. 293x370 mm; 11½x14½ inches. Signed “Edward Sorel” in upper left image, captioned by him beneath image on mount.
Provenance: Graham Gallery, New York; private collection; on loan to The Cartoonist’s Guild, New York.
Published: The Art in cartooning: Seventy-five years of American Magazine Cartoons. New York: Scribner’s, The Cartoonist’s Guild, 1975; both the Graham Gallery label and a portion of Scribner editor’s Typed Letter Signed are preserved on verso with original framing label (though no longer framed).
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Edward sorel (1929-)
Self Portrait (Drawing Class).
Cover illustration for Steven Heller’s article “A Political Animal” in Print magazine, January-February 1993. Pen, ink, and watercolor on paper. 17x12¾ inches, image, archivally framed to 26½x22 inches. Signed “Edward Sorel” in lower left.
Provenance: Davis & Langdale Co., NYC, with their labels; Marcus Ratliff (1935-2022), noted artist and important graphic designer; current owner.
Literature: In addition to the cover of Print, the image also appeared as the dust jacket cover image and on page130 of Sorel’s book Unauthorized Portraits (New York: Knopf, 1997).
Exhibited: “Unauthorized Portraits: the Drawings of Edward Sorel,” National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution July 12, 1999 to November 7, 1999, Catalog #27, with their label.
The image shows Sorel posing as artists’ model for some of his own notable subjects: Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger, George H.W. Bush, and Cardinal Terence Cooke who are mercilessly caricaturing the caricaturist.
Copies of Print magazine and Unauthorized Portraits accompany the artwork.
Estimate
$4,000 – $6,000
Richard taylor (1902-1970)
“Franz Kafka: ‘Metamorphosis.’”
Cartoon or illustration intended for Kafka’s novel Metamorphosis (Die Verwandlung). Ink and watercolor on board. 253x170 mm; 10x6½ inches, on 20x15-inch board. Initialed “R.T.” in lower left image and captioned by Taylor in lower right margin.
Estimate
$700 – $1,000
Richard taylor (1902-1970)
“The Messenger.”
Illustration for an unknown project. Watercolor and ink on illustration board. 420x670 mm; 16½x26½ inches, image, on 20x30-inch board. Signed “Richard Taylor 1945” and titled in lower center image.
While Taylor is best known for his droll New Yorker cartoons, he was a master of science fiction and fantasy illustration. Most of that work appeared on the covers of Arkham House novels in the 1950s and 60s, though his archives have presented numerous examples of such dark, Hieronymus Bosch-like landscapes and creatures as this wonderful illustration.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
James thurber (1894-1961)
“Lady Macbeth.”
Brown and black ink with graphite on paper. 610x457 mm; 24x18 inches. Signed and titled “Lady Macbeth / Thurber” in lower margin. Matted and framed to 29x22 inches.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,000
James thurber (1894-1961)
“Romeo and Juliet.”
Brown ink and graphite on paper. 610x457 mm; 24x18 inches. Signed and titled “James Thurber / Romeo and Juliet” in lower left. Matted and framed to 29x22 inches.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Garry trudeau (1948-)
Secretary Delacourt needs a trophy. Original daily “Doonesbury” cartoon.
Original daily “Doonesbury” cartoon, published April 9, 1977, with Universal Press Syndicate copyright in first panel. Pen, ink, Zipatone, and correction fluid on partially-printed paper. 140x381 mm; 5½x15 inches, on 7 1/4x16 1/2-inch sheet. Signed “G.B. Trudeau” in fourth panel. Hinged to matte; framed to 10¼x19¼ inches.
Provenance: The Quay Gallery, San Francisco, with their label on frame verso; private collection.
Duane P. Delacourt was introduced March 24, 1977 and was Secretary of Symbolism under President Carter. He later served as Executive Symbolist and Press Secretary for California Governor and presidential candidate Jerry Brown.
Estimate
$800 – $1,200
Alanson burton walker (1878-1947)
“A Scotch High Ball.”
Cartoon, likely published in Judge magazine. Pen and ink on paper, 1903. 340x130 mm; 13¼x5¼ inches, image, on 16x9½-inch sheet. Signed and dated “A. B. Walker 1903” and additionally inscribed “To my old friend Benson from A.B. Walker.” Tipped to window matte.
Estimate
$300 – $400
George h. wright (1872-1951)
“How do you like my new pajamas, Kitty?”
Cartoon published in Life magazine, 1920s. The full caption reading: “Pretty Girl (in fancy pajamas): ‘How do you like my new pajamas, Kitty?’ Her friend: ‘They’re lovely, dear. If the house was to catch fire some night, they’d make a tremendous hit.’” Pencil, charcoal, and watercolor on board. 407x330 mm; 16x13 inches 20x17-inch board. Signed “George Wright” in lower right corner and with publisher’s label on the verso, along with the caption “The Mirror.”
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
The New Yorker: Cartoons & Cover Art
Charles addams (1912-1988) (the new yorker)
Rock Climbers.
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published September 11, 1954, with their copyright stamp and notations on verso. Watercolor, ink, and gouache on board. 557x385 mm; 22x15¼ inches. Signed “Chas Addams” in lower right image and gifted and inscribed to his friends on their wedding day: “For Mimi & Alexander - love & all the best –Chas Addams 1971.”
Prince Alexander and the Sicilian princess Maria “Mimi” di Niscimi were wed on February 23, 1971. Son of Prince Nikita Alexandrovich of Russia and a great nephew of Nicholas II of Russia, the last Tsar, Alexander became the first member of the Romanov family to visit Russia after the Revolution. The couple was friendly with Addams, who gifted them this, one of his most iconic cartoons, on the occasion of their wedding.
Estimate
$15,000 – $20,000
Charles barsotti (1933-2014) (the new yorker)
“Would you like a little phone sex while you hold?”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published July 27, 1998, with their inventory label on verso. Pen, ink, and correction fluid on paper. 191x241 mm; 7½x9½ inches. Signed “C. Barsotti” in lower left image.
Estimate
$300 – $400
George booth (1926-2022) (the new yorker)
“How would I rate, hon, on a scale of one to ten?”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published January 17, 1983, with their label on verso. Pen, ink, and watercolor, and correction fluid with collage on paper. 305x228 mm; 12x9 inches. Signed “Booth”in lower left and captioned again in his hand on verso, along with the name of the woman who gave him idea for the cartoon. Tipped to matte and framed to 19x15 inches.
A classic Booth cartoon, resplendent with cats in an array of poses, many of which are collaged onto the illustration, and a kindly credit to the person who provided him with the idea for the cartoon.
Booth was known for his main subjects of couples, cluttered interiors, and the antics of cats and dogs. The beloved New Yorker cartoonist died in early November. He was a kind man, full of life and good humor.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
George booth (1926-2022) (the new yorker)
“Like a duck. Calm and placid on the surface, but peddling like hell. That’s me!”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published November 28, 1983, with their label on verso. Pen, ink, and watercolor, and correction fluid with collage on paper. 305x228 mm; 12x9 inches. Signed “Booth” in lower right and captioned again in his hand on verso. Tipped to matte and framed to 19x15 inches.
Booth was known for his main subjects of couples, cluttered interiors, and the antics of cats and dogs. The beloved New Yorker cartoonist died in early November. He was a kind man, full of life and good humor.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Roz chast (1955-) (the new yorker)
“Proposed Health Care Plans for Dolls.”
Cartoon for unknown publication, possibly The New Yorker.Watercolor, pen, and ink on paper. 152x208 mm; 6x8¼ inches, sheet. Signed “R. Chast” in lower right image, editorial note on verso.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Roz chast (1955- ) (the new yorker)
“The Jukes and the Kallikaks Today.”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published June 8, 1987. Pen, ink, and wash, on paper. 140x154 mm; 286x224 mm; 11¼x8¾ inches, on 12x9-inch sheet. Signed “R. Chast” in margin at lower right. Hinged to board and archivally framed to 17½x18¼ inches. A certificate of authenticity signed by Chast accompanies the lot.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Roz chast (1955-) (the new yorker)
“The Ground Floor: Billy & Jimmy’s Technology Stocks - 25¢ a Share.”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published May 31, 1999, page 32. Pen, ink, and wash on paper. 203x228 mm; 8x6½ inches, on 12x9-inch sheet. Signed “R. Chast” in margin at lower right. Archivally framed to 18x14 inches. A certificate of authenticity dated March 28, 2001 signed by Robert Mankoff, President of The Cartoon Bank at The New Yorker, and a magazine tear sheet of the cartoon accompany the lot.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
William henry cotton (1880-1958) (the new yorker)
Spring Fairy Running the Red Light.
Illustration for the cover of The New Yorker May 1, 1943. Gouache on board. 380x280 mm; 15x11 inches, image, on 19x15-inch board. Signed and inscribed “To Bobby / W. Cotton” in lower image; printing indications on verso.
Estimate
$2,000 – $3,500
Whitney darrow jr. (1909-1999) (the new yorker)
Off-season boating.
Likely proposed cover for The New Yorker. Mixed media with gouache, ink, and watercolor on board. 523x425 mm; 20½x16¾ inches. Signed “Whitney Darrow Jr., “ in lower right image. Tipped to window matte.
Estimate
$1,500 – $2,500
Edward gorey (1925-2000) (the new yorker)
Papering the Tree.
Cover illustration for The New Yorker, published December 21, 1992. Watercolor, graphite, and ink on paper. 280x215 mm; 11x8½ inches, on 13½x9½-inch paper. Initialed “EG” in lower right image. Tipped to matte; verso blank.
Provenance: The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, consigned to support its mission of maintaining Gorey’s artistic legacy and the animal welfare organizations he supported.
The last color magazine cover by Edward Gorey published in his lifetime and one of only two published New Yorker covers by him. This image, featuring a family festively trimming a bizarre, denuded Christmas tree (and, in the process, the family pets) with poinsettia wrapping paper, appeared on the December 21, 1992 Christmas week cover. While this was the only New Yorker cover published in Gorey’s lifetime, a second watercolor submitted with it, “Cat Fancy,” languished in their archives, 18 years after his death and nearly forgotten until 2018 when editor Françoise Mouly rediscovered the illustration upon the submission of an appreciation of Gorey by Joan Acocella. In belated homage, it graced their December 3, 2018 issue. That original drawing, featuring cozy felines camouflaged in a riotously patterned bed comforter, was sold in our showrooms the following June.
Over the course of his career, Gorey created a total of thirty-four published covers for magazines. Among those, only eight were in full color though some contained small watercolor additions or backgrounds. Gorey scholar and collector Irwin Terry noted that an additional four were unpublished. His excellent posts on Gorey’s magazine covers can be found on his blog goreyana.blogspot.com and his helpful research and assistance is greatly appreciated.
Estimate
$20,000 – $30,000
William hamilton (1939-2016) (the new yorker)
Cartoonist’s sketch book.
Green “Artspiral” sketchbook with 14 pages of drawings in ink, in various stages of development and with corrections.
One apparently finished cartoon, picturing three WASPy male friends relaxing with a bottle, bears the pencilled caption: “You Call That a Problem? My Wife Makes Twice as Much as That.” Other pencilled notes read “[Hi]ding the rawness of my ambition”; “That’s when I was militarized”; and “FAX 415-614-2700.” Yhough the drawings are unsigned, Hamilton’s wit and style are unmistakable.
Estimate
$1,200 – $1,800
Bruce eric kaplan (1964-) (the new yorker)
“Go Ahead – Make My Danish.”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published September 12, 1994. Felt marker with correction fluid on paper. 115x165 mm; 4½x6½ inches, image, on 7½x9½-inch sheet. Initialed “BEK” in his characteristic framed letters; verso with date and “Al’s Bakery” in Kaplan’s hand. Matted and framed to 10x12 inches. Accompanied by two books of Kaplan’s cartoons.
Provenance: Estate of Willie Garson; private collection, New York.
Estimate
$350 – $500
Lee lorenz (1933-) (the new yorker)
“You will have a nice day.”
Study for a cartoon in The New Yorker, the final iteration published January 27, 1992. Ink and wash on paper. 305x435 mm; 12x17¼ inches, sheet. Signed “Lorenz” in lower right image.
Estimate
$300 – $400
Lee lorenz (1933-) (the new yorker)
Temple Elevator.
Pantomime cartoon for The New Yorker, published June 12, 2006, with their label on verso. 431x355 mm; 17x14 inches, sheet. Signed “Lorenz” in lower right image.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Lee lorenz (1933-) (the new yorker)
“So-what seems to be the problem?”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published May 23, 2011, with their label on verso. Ink and wash on paper. 275x355 mm; 10¾x14 inches, sheet. Signed “Lorenz” in lower right.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Mischa richter (1910-2001) (the new yorker)
“If you’d read your paper like other men, you wouldn’t notice how I look.”
Cartoon for The New Yorker, published January 12, 1946. Pen, ink, and correction fluid on paper. 400x249 mm; 15¾x13¾-inches. Signed “Richter” in lower right image.
Estimate
$250 – $350
Danny shanahan (1956-2021) (new yorker)
“Kong for a Day.”
Daily cartoon for The New Yorker, published July 1, 1989, with their copyright label on verso. Pen, ink and wash on paper. 355x280 mm; 14x11 inches. Signed “Shanahan” in lower right image with artist’s manuscript address on verso. Provenance: The estate of the artist.
Estimate
$500 – $750
Danny shanahan (1956-2021) (new yorker)
“Kringle on the Beach.”
Cartoon featured on the “Artist at Large” page in The New Yorker, published December 21, 1992. Watercolor, pen and ink on paper. 290x216 mm; 11½x8½ inches, on 13¾x11-inch sheet. Signed “Shanahan” in lower right image with artist’s address on verso along with the adhesive ghost of the New Yorker stamp, but with their printer’s notes and job scan label still present.
Provenance: the estate of the artist.
This image was submitted as Shanahan’s very first cover for the magazine (as evidenced by the festive spine band), but it was ultimately chosen for the “Artist at Large” feature on page 89.
Estimate
$1,000 – $1,500
Danny shanahan (1956-2021) (the new yorker)
Quarantined (pantomime cartoon).
Daily cartoon for The New Yorker, published April 10, 2020. Pen, ink and wash on paper. 223x273 mm; 8¾x10¾ inches, sheet. Signed “Shanahan” in lower right image.
Provenance: The estate of the artist.
Among the last New Yorker cartoons by the late Shanahan, who died during the second year of the Coronovirus pandemic. Here, he captures the desperation of a couple and their pets during quarantine, anxiously waiting to escape their apartment for their daily walk.