Iconic Scenes
Newyork City paintings, book covers and illustrations, as well as other prime subjects available in Bonhams’ November 19 sale
New York City paintings, book covers and illustrations, as well as other prime subjects available in Bonhams’ November 19 sale
November 19, 2 p.m.
Bonhams 580 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10022 t: (212) 644-9001 www.bonhams.com
Two of the most significant lots coming to market in Bonhams’ November 19 American Art auction are from the same private collection in Chicago.they are both striking Newyork City scenes that are indicative of what their respective artists were creating at the time.the first is Theodore Earl Butler’s 1918 painting Flag Day (est. $500/700,000), and the second is Guy Carleton Wiggins’ Wall Street in Winter, which has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000.
In discussing the former painting, Jennifer Jacobsen, the auction house’s director of American art, says,“the timing of the piece is incredible here because we’re celebrating the 100th
anniversary of Armistice of World
War I and the 100th anniversary of the painting. It was done in October 1918 and is of one of the massive parades along Fifth Avenue, the Fourth Liberty Loan parade that was led by President Woodrow Wilson.we can pinpoint exactly where it was.”
Butler’s work primarily focuses on the flags of the allies interspersed with the red Liberty Loan banners and St. Patrick’s Cathedral is in the background.“in addition to the patriotic theme, we’re seeing a moment in modern city life of that day,” says Jacobsen.“he depicts automobiles, which touches on the theme of man and machine, and the commentary of modernization of the time.”
The Wiggins is a large-scale example of one of his recognized Newyork
City snow scenes.“we see Federal Hall and the monument to Washington at right, on the steps where he was sworn in as the first president, and Trinity Church, at center in the background,” Jacobsen describes.“as is seen in Wiggins’ best work, there are numerous American flags. It has the quality of what collectors are looking for in the artist’s work.”
Painter Thomas Hill was most widely known for his paintings of Yosemite Valley and other areas in the West. In the Bonhams sale, a rare 1872 work, Hudson River Valley from Catskill Mountain House will cross the block. The piece, measuring 5 feet across, comes from the estate of John H. Garzoli, who was one of the foremost dealers of Hill’s work. It is expected to sell between $100,000 and $150,000.
“[Hill] was connected to the Hudson River School painters mainly through his work he did of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, so this subject is rare for the artist,” Jacobsen elaborates. “It was very popular among the Hudson River School painters; it’s a viewpoint from Catskill Mountain House known for its panoramic views. Notable artists Thomas Cole, Sanford Gifford and Jasper Francis Cropsey all traveled to Mountain House to paint these views.” Another work with strong provenance is N.c.wyeth’s illustration Legends of Charlemagne (est. $300/500,000), which comes from the family of its original owner James Boyd, a writer and friend of the artist.the work was made as the front cover for the
1923 republication of Thomas Bulfinch’s tale. “This classic piece
of literature fuses mythology and with the historical figure of Charlemagne, or Charles I, the legendary European ruler of the Middle Ages,” says Jacobsen. “In the present work, we see a heroic struggle with a dragon.the fantastic vibrancy of color and dramatic composition are characteristic of Wyeth’s best illustrations.”
Connie and Sheepherder, a 1922 illustration by Frank Earle Schoonover, is another noteworthy lot.“it was used twice in terms of what illustrations are made for,” Jacobsen shares.“it was used first as an illustration for a short story published in the December 1922 issue of The American Boy magazine as well as in the 1923 publication of Connie Morgan in Cattle Country.the protagonist
Connie Morgan was featured in a series of adventure stories by James B. Hendryx, where Connie’s rugged travels took him throughout the frontiers of the American West and northwest.”
Jacobsen continues,“it’s interesting because Schoonover had firsthand experience adventuring. He went 1,200 miles through Canada and Alaska by dogsled, snowshoe and canoe.” His adventures, she adds, may have aided in multiple Connie Morgan illustrations. The piece has a presale estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.
Other highlights from the American art sale include a collection of African-american paintings from a Northern California collection, such as Hughie Lee-smith’s Girl in Lavender (est. $20/30,000); an Isles of Shoals watercolor by Childe Hassam (est. $60/80,000); Andrew Wyeth’s watercolor Stair Window (est. $50/70,000); and Richard E. Miller’s Summer Landscape with Farm Building (est. $50/70,000).