Renowned American artist (1882–1945) and patriarch of a family of distinguished painters including son Andrew (born 1917) and grandson Jamie (born 1946). Best known for his illustrations for such classic literary works as Treasure Island, Last of the Mohicans, and Robinson Crusoe, N. C. Wyeth long sought recognition as a “serious” artist, drawing sharp distinctions between the worlds of commercial and fine art. The inclusion of his works in scores of distinguished museum collections provides, perhaps, the most compelling testimony to the realization of his goals. Unsigned original drawing by Wyeth of the head of a prone horse, pencil on a cream 6.75 x 9 sheet, circa 1905. The drawing is accompanied by a 1997 letter of provenance from historian and collector Douglas Allen, author of N. C. Wyeth: The Collected Paintings, Illustrations, and Murals. In part: “In 1967 and 1968 ... I was privileged to visit with the artist Frank E. Schoonover on various occasions.... On one of these visits Mr. Schoonover showed me a drawing of a horse’s head and knowing I collected N. C. Wyeth, he told me the following story: In 1905 he was illustrating a series by Clarence Mulford titled Hopalong Cassidy. In one of the paintings, a character loading a pistol has taken cover behind his dead horse. Schoonover was having trouble with the angle of the horse’s head and asked Wyeth for help, who at that time had adjoining studios in Wilmington. Wyeth had recently returned from a trip west and had become proficient in drawing the anatomy of horses. As Schoonover related, Wyeth sat down and sketched the head, solving the foreshortening problem. Schoonover finished the painting and in the lower left hand corner he placed one of N. C.’s hats. Among Howard Pyle students, it was traditional to share and help one another in developing their talents as artists. I acquired the sketch some years later....” The drawing and letter are matted and framed together with a color reproduction of Schoonover’s finished painting, incorporating the horse’s head as drawn by Wyeth, to an overall size of 29.75 x 17.25. In good condition, with horizontal fold (through image) and light creases elsewhere, a few edge tears with associated tape stains from early repairs (touching top of horse’s head and reins at lower right), and a hint of subtle toning and soiling. The striking image is, by and large, otherwise unaffected. Oversized. R&R COA.
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