Ernest Howard Shepard

Acquired directly from the artist;
Thence by decent to the present owner

Punch, November 1913;
Rawle Knox, The Work of E. H. Shepard, 1979, pp.75-6 (illus. p. 75)

There is some discolouration to the sheet and scattered spots of foxing throughout. The discolouration is most pronounced in the immediate area around the scattered patches of white heighteneing. Held in a simple black frame under glass, under a stained mount.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

An Insult to the Profession, which Shepard produced for Punch magazine in 1913, displays, as Rawle Knox states in his book on the artist, "a shop with a mountainside of embryo Winnie-the Poohs" (p. 75). Knox further draws attention to the significance of the present work to what later became Winnie-the-Pooh: "The bears, it may be noted, are studies from Graham's Growler, who disintegrated only in the second world war. We can see Growler here in his first youth, with less character, but more fur and plush about him than he was to show thirteen years later in his appearance as Winnie-the-Pooh" (p. 76). It has also been suggested that the figures in this work include a self-portrait of the artist with his wife Florence.