Lot 50
  • 50

N. C. WYETH | "Sit down," says the stranger. "I take what I have a mind to, sir." (The Laughing Lady)

Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 USD
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Description

  • N. C. Wyeth
  • "Sit down," says the stranger. "I take what I have a mind to, sir." (The Laughing Lady)
  • signed N.C. WYETH (upper right)
  • tempera on panel
  • 25 3/4 by 25 inches
  • (65.4 by 63.5 cm)
  • Painted circa 1940.

Provenance

The artist
Mrs. N.C. Wyeth
Gift to the present owners from the above, 1949

Exhibited

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Newman Galleries, Wyeth Family Exhibition, October 1965

Literature

Constance Wagner, "Laughing Lady," Woman's Home Companion, vol. 67, no. 5, May 1940, illustrated p. 17
Douglas Allen and Douglas Allen, Jr., N.C. Wyeth: The Collected Paintings, Illustrations and Murals, New York, 1972, p. 280
Christine B. Podmaniczky, N.C. Wyeth: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, vol. II, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, 2008, no. I1304, p. 586, illustrated

Condition

There is frame abrasion at edges and the work appears to be slightly dirty. Under UV: there is no apparent inpainting.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

N.C. Wyeth painted "Sit down," says the stranger. "I take what I have a mind to, sir." (The Laughing Lady) circa 1940 as the period that is today known as the Golden Age of Illustration was coming to an end. By this time, Wyeth had achieved success as an illustrator after studying at Howard Pyle’s eponymous school and selling his first drawing to The Saturday Evening Post in 1903. He gained further recognition when he received a commission from Charles Scribner’s Sons to illustrate Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island in 1911. Wyeth’s career continued to flourish by the time of his death in 1945 he had created nearly 4,000 illustrations for books and magazines.  The present work is an illustration for Constance Wagner’s “Laughing Lady”, a short story that was published in Woman’s Home Companion in May 1940.