Jessie Willcox Smith American, 1863-1935 Little Mother, circa 1922 American, 1863-1935 Little Mother, circa 1922 Signed Jessie Willcox Smith (ll), inscribed with artist's name and title on two old labels affixed to reverse of frame Oil and charcoal on board 19 x 16 inches Literature: Good Housekeeping Magazine, June 1922, cover illustration Ada M. Skinner and Eleanor L. Skinner, comps. A Very Little Child's Book of Stories, New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1923, reissued in 1980 by Children's Classics, illustrated S. Michael Schnessel, Jessie Willcox Smith New York, Thomas Y. Crowell Publishers, 1977, no. 81, p. 120, illustrated Renowned for her idyllic images of childhood, Jessie Wilcox Smith achieved widespread success during the golden age of illustration, illustrating over forty children's books and working for publications such as Century, Collier's Weekly and Scribner's Magazine. Preferring to work with the children of her friends rather than professional models, she portrayed them with keen sensitivity to mood and expression. Briefly pursuing a career as a kindergarten teacher in Ohio, she evidently had a great affinity for children, although she never married and never had children of her own. Discovering a love of drawing, Smith commenced studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, studying there with Thomas Anshutz, Thomas Eakins and Robert Vonnoh. Her first published illustration appeared in May 1888 in St. Nicholas Magazine, while she was still a student. Graduating the same year, she accepted a position in the advertising department of the Ladies Home Journal. Further studies at Drexel Institute in 1894 with the accomplished illustrator Howard Pyle led to a commission to illustrate Evangeline, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as lifelong friendship and professional collaboration with classmates Elizabeth Shippen Green and Violet Oakley From 1917 through 1932, Smith illlustrated covers exclusively for Good Housekeeping Magazine. Little Mother appeared on the cover of the June 1922 issue. The painting was reproduced the following year in A Very Little Child's Book of Stories, which was reissued in 1990. Endearing images such as this composition, capturing the quintessential moments of childhood, contributed to Smith's tremendous popularity. S. Michael Schnessel writes, "In her life and in her work, it was the ideal that predominated, and the ideal child is the legacy left us by this remarkable artist." (Michael Schnessel, Jessie Wilcox Smith, 1977, p. 23.) A Connecticut Estate
Frame rubbing. Minor surface dirt. No apparent restoration. There are a few areas that flouresce under UV light though that appears to just be the pigment. There are also two small areas of varnish, roughly 1/4'' area in size, each just in the upper 1/3/center of the piece.
Jessie Willcox Smith American, 1863-1935 Little Mother, circa 1922 American, 1863-1935 Little Mother, circa 1922 Signed Jessie Willcox Smith (ll), inscribed with artist's name and title on two old labels affixed to reverse of frame Oil and charcoal on board 19 x 16 inches Literature: Good Housekeeping Magazine, June 1922, cover illustration Ada M. Skinner and Eleanor L. Skinner, comps. A Very Little Child's Book of Stories, New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1923, reissued in 1980 by Children's Classics, illustrated S. Michael Schnessel, Jessie Willcox Smith New York, Thomas Y. Crowell Publishers, 1977, no. 81, p. 120, illustrated Renowned for her idyllic images of childhood, Jessie Wilcox Smith achieved widespread success during the golden age of illustration, illustrating over forty children's books and working for publications such as Century, Collier's Weekly and Scribner's Magazine. Preferring to work with the children of her friends rather than professional models, she portrayed them with keen sensitivity to mood and expression. Briefly pursuing a career as a kindergarten teacher in Ohio, she evidently had a great affinity for children, although she never married and never had children of her own. Discovering a love of drawing, Smith commenced studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, studying there with Thomas Anshutz, Thomas Eakins and Robert Vonnoh. Her first published illustration appeared in May 1888 in St. Nicholas Magazine, while she was still a student. Graduating the same year, she accepted a position in the advertising department of the Ladies Home Journal. Further studies at Drexel Institute in 1894 with the accomplished illustrator Howard Pyle led to a commission to illustrate Evangeline, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as lifelong friendship and professional collaboration with classmates Elizabeth Shippen Green and Violet Oakley From 1917 through 1932, Smith illlustrated covers exclusively for Good Housekeeping Magazine. Little Mother appeared on the cover of the June 1922 issue. The painting was reproduced the following year in A Very Little Child's Book of Stories, which was reissued in 1990. Endearing images such as this composition, capturing the quintessential moments of childhood, contributed to Smith's tremendous popularity. S. Michael Schnessel writes, "In her life and in her work, it was the ideal that predominated, and the ideal child is the legacy left us by this remarkable artist." (Michael Schnessel, Jessie Wilcox Smith, 1977, p. 23.) A Connecticut Estate
Frame rubbing. Minor surface dirt. No apparent restoration. There are a few areas that flouresce under UV light though that appears to just be the pigment. There are also two small areas of varnish, roughly 1/4'' area in size, each just in the upper 1/3/center of the piece.
/121/1224121.jpg "Source: Bonhams | Skinner")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
