N.C. Wyeth 1882-1945

Estimate

200,000 - 300,000 USD

bidding is closed

Description

N. C. Wyeth
They Took Their Wives With Them on Their Cruises
signed N.C. Wyeth, dated Feb. 28, 1942, and inscribed To Ken and Nancy/with affection and gratitude from convers, l.r.
oil on artist's board
35 by 25 in.
(88.9 by 63.5 cm)
Painted circa 1937.

Provenance

Dr. Kenneth and Nancy Scott, Oakbourne, Pennsylvania (gift from the artist)
By descent to the present owner

Exhibited

Portland, Maine, Maine Historical Society, Exhibition of N.C. Wyeth's Paintings for Trending Into Maine, July 1938
Rockland, Maine, Farnsworth Art Museum, Trending Into Maine: The Illustrations of N.C. Wyeth, May 2001-December 2002

Literature

"The Romance that is Maine's," The Boston Herald, June 19, 1938, rotogravure section, unpaginated
Kenneth Roberts, Trending Into Maine, Boston, 1938, p. 115, illustrated in color
Douglas Allen and Douglas Allen, Jr., N.C. Wyeth: The Collected Paintings, Illustrations and Murals, New York, 1972, p. 216
Beverly F. Stoughton, "Women at Sea," American History Illustrated, vol. XV, no. 3, June 1980, p. 8, illustrated in color

Catalogue Note

N.C. Wyeth frequently corresponded with Trending Into Maine author Kenneth Roberts as he created the illustrations for the novel, seeking any information that would shed light on the characters and allow him to paint them with sympathy and insight. The author and publisher granted him full artistic license in his choice of subjects, not restricting him to a strict interpretation of the text. Overall, Wyeth was determined to "depict what is historically true of this particular coastline, and what is universal in appeal." Wyeth proudly wrote to his daughter, Henrietta, "The string of...panels...for the Maine book done since you left are, I firmly believe, my tops in illustrative painting."