Collectors of original art by Charles Addams were presented with an unusual opportunity at Doyle New York yesterday. A drawing of his is set at a picnic in the Canadian mountains. A Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman comes by with an apprehended prisoner. The publication history of the drawing was initially unknown to the auction house, but that was corrected prior to the sale. The drawing illustrated "The Royal Canadian Mounted: The magnificent story of one of the great police forces on earth" by James Warner Bellah in Holiday magazine for June 1958. It was collected in Black Maria, Addams's 1960 collection. So it's technically a story illustration, but in style it's more of a typical Addams cartoon.
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Charles Addams
Holiday, June 1958, p. 76
Black Maria, 1960, p. 28 |
There is a condition issue. As Doyle describes it, "The sheet with a hard central fold that has cracked the backing of the illustration board, although the surface paper with the drawing is merely creased. Corners a bit bumped." This drawing is in need of a paper conservator.
The drawing is from the estate of Harry Lowe (1922-2021, the art professor and Smithsonian curator). The auction house estimate was $1,000 to $1,500, set before the publication history was known. It's on the conservative side, but not unreasonable given the condition issues.The revised listing, accessed November 6, now has the publication history provided by H. Kevin Miserocchi of the Tee & Charles Addams Foundation:
An eBay listing shows the 1958 Addams illustration in Holiday and the first page of the accompanying article.
Charles Addams's Black Maria (1960) with a spread of drawings without words, from another eBay listing:
Sold!
Note: My thanks to Charles Addams memorabilia expert Joel Jacobus for his guidance.
If the purchaser of this drawing chooses to restore it, I would be happy to post an image of the refreshed art afterwards.
Collectors of original Addams art are welcome to submit images of their holdings to this blog.
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