Reaching the Masses
Illustrations,western art and Hudson River School examples are among the standouts in Heritage Auctions’ July 1 sale
Design District Showroom 1518 Slocum Street
Dallas, TX 75207 t: (800) 872-6467 www.ha.com
Over the years, Heritage Auctions has garnered a solid reputation for its offerings in Golden Age illustration and Western art, having set a number of world auction records and consistently filling their sales with lots from both categories. Its next American Art Signature Auction on July 1 is no different, with the majority of the top items being from both categories. However, this year’s sale will also shine a light on segments of the market such as portraiture and Hudson River School.with approximately 150 lots crossing the block during the day’s event, collectors are sure to find something that suits their needs.
The top piece for the auction is a charming and recognizable work by Golden Age great Norman Rockwell titled Mother Tucking Children into Bed (Mother’s Little Angels), which was one of the 47 pieces he made for covers of Literary Digest. Aviva Lehmann, director of American art at Heritage, says,“what’s very special about this is it’s sort of the holy grail of Literary Digest covers…it’s probably the bestknown cover.you’ll see hundreds of websites with the image, and it’s widely produced to this day. It’s so
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sweet and nostalgic of this mother tucking her children into bed.the model in the work is Rockwell’s first wife, Irene O’connor.”
The work, which is estimated to sell between $1.8 million and $2.4 million, arrives at market from the family of Rudolph E. Leppert, who was an editor at Literary Digest and was gifted the piece in 1921.
Rockwell is represented by another noteworthy work in the sale, Grandfather and Grandson
(est. $500/700,000), which was commissioned in 1929 by Dixon Ticonderoga.the work shows a grandfather teaching his grandson how to sharpen a pencil, but not just any pencil, a yellow No. 2 Dixon Ticonderoga that the company is best known for.the work arrives at auction directly from the Dixon Ticonderoga Collection along with three other pieces in the sale.
Also coming from the company is Harvey Dunn’s Dawn, Dawn, Dawn, which depicts a key moment in American history—colonial soldiers rushing toward victory at Fort Ticonderoga.the work, commissioned in 1932, is expected to sell between $80,000 and $120,000. Describing the painting Lehmann says,“it’s got the swashbuckling feel of action, because Dunn trained under Howard Pyle of the Brandywine School, with a central fighter and swooping trees and action. Really it’s a tour de force for Dunn.” Another historical scene by the artist was commissioned from the company in 1936 and is also featured in the sale: Ethan Allen Plotting the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga (est. $15/25,000).
The fourth piece from Dixon Ticonderoga is the Revolutionary War scene The Nobel Train of Artillery, by
Tom Lovell, which was commissioned in 1932 by the company.“this is also