William Steig's Lawn Dance

A joyful drawing by William Steig and two hand-written letters from the artist to his friend Mary were recently sold together on eBay. These guys dancing on the lawn sure do seem to be having a good time, and I think the feeling may be contagious!

Steig's letters show him to be thinking about the children's books he is writing. He is pleased with his three grown children's progress in the working world, and notes a couple of his and his wife's ailments. He discusses the weather some and harbors an admittedly unscientific notion that the Chernobyl disaster somehow has resulted in increased global seismic activity.

William Steig, [Lawn Dance]

Letter from William Steig to Mary, November 13, 1980

Letter from William Steig to Mary, November 7, 1986, p.1

Letter from William Steig to Mary, November 7, 1986, p. 2

EBay Winning Bid

EBay Item Description

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item3cc655ae59&item=261025541721&nma=true&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&si=Zv4PhLp6HocGRC23iqci2JeQ2LI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_500wt_1413

March 23, 2013 Update: This drawing reportedly was used in a clothing ad published in The New Yorker sometime in the 1980's. I would appreciate hearing from anyone with more specific information.

Note:  Be sure not to miss my William Steig-inspired Valentine's Day blog post here.

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