Still Life by Harry and Wende Devlin Circa 1982

About the Item

Still life oil on canvas by Harry and Wende Devlin. In original gilt frame. Signed on top right corner. Residents of Mountainside since 1950, the late Harry and Wende Devlin were beloved and multi-talented artists whose 28 children’s books made them famous worldwide. Their storied union began at the fine arts college at Syracuse University and they married in 1941. Harry began his career as a magazine illustrator at the end of the golden age of magazine illustration. When World War II broke out, Harry enlisted in the Navy where he created illustrations of enemy aircraft used by members of our armed forces. After his service, Harry worked at Collier’s and other magazines in advertising and other illustration and also became a political cartoonist — with a conscience. After landing a job at The New York Daily News he was asked to do a pro-Joe McCarthy cartoon. He refused, and was promptly fired. With a growing family with 6 children and a 7th on the way, Harry turned to book illustration. Noting that the artist took away only a fraction of what the author earned, Harry enlisted Wende to write children’s books which he would illustrate. Wende was already enjoying artistic success with her beautiful portraits, mostly of children. She had also begun writing humorous poetry for Good Housekeeping Magazine. In the mid-fifties Wende and Harry created a comic strip, entitled “Fullhouse,” inspired by the antics of their growing children in their large Victorian farmhouse, plus a barn, sitting on three acres of idyllic hilltop . Adding to the “creative chaos” were pets which included a pet donkey, a pair of geese, and poodles. Harry began painting fine art, focusing on his love of American architecture, rendering realistic portraits of historical treasures. In the late fifties, he gathered his paintings to illustrate and write his first book, “To Grandfather’s House We Go.” These and many other paintings were featured at the Morris Museum, as well as in countless other museums and exhibits. Harry's magnum opus was “Portraits of American Architecture: Monuments to a Romantic Mood, 1890-1900,” featuring 95 of his original paintings. “Old Black Witch,” written by Wende and illustrated by Harry, was this talented couple’s first collaboration and it was a runaway success. A movie called “Winter of the Witch” was based on this book and became a cult favorite in the ’60’s, appearing on PBS for many years. Their most successful books were the “Cranberry” series. "Cranberry Christmas" was made into a 1/2 hour cartoon by Ocean Spray Cranberry for ABC’s 25 Days of Christmas.

Dimensions:

Height: 34.5 in (87.63 cm)Width: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)

Style:

Hollywood Regency (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Canvas,Paint,Hand-Painted

Period:

1980-1989

Date of Manufacture:

1982

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Frame shows some chips and gilt loss as shown in photographs. Painting has age appropriate cracqluer.