Thomas Hart Benton 1889 - 1975

Estimate

15,000 - 20,000 USD

bidding is closed

Description

Thomas Hart Benton
"The boys yelled and the dogs barked and the hogs squealed and trumpeted as they charged desperately:" An illustration from Three Rivers South: The Story of Young Abe Lincoln
signed Benton (lower left) and initialed B. (lower right); also inscribed Three Rivers South (lower center) and Chapter 8 page 51 beneath the mat
watercolor and ink on paper
image: 10 3/4 by 8 1/4 inches (27.3 by 18.4 cm)
sheet: 12 1/2 by 9 7/8 inches (31.8 by 25.1 cm)
Executed in 1955.

Provenance

Kiechel Fine Art, Lincoln, Nebraska
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 2009

Literature

Virginia S. Eifert, Three Rivers South: The Story of Young Abe Lincoln, New York, 1955, illustrated p. 51

Catalogue Note

The present work is one of a series of drawings that Thomas Hart Benton executed for Virginia S. Eifert's 1955 book, Three Rivers South: The Story of Young Abe Lincoln. The book tells the story of Lincoln's 1831 trip from Sangamo Town, Illinois as the pilot of a flatboat carrying goods and produce to the major commercial center of New Orleans, an event now considered a formative experience in the life of the future President of the United States. A skilled storyteller, Benton created illustrations for books and periodicals throughout his career; Three Rivers South is the last book he illustrated.