Early 20th Century Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Woman with Basket is an original Modern artwork created by Gabriele Galantara (1865-1937) in 1905. The artwork has been realized in China ink, tempe...

Christ is an original drawing on paper in pen and pencil mounted on blueish Passepartout, realized by an anonymous Italian artist of the Early 20th Cen...

Nudes Study is an original modern artwork realized in the first years of the 20th Century by the artist Arnold Heldink (b. 1860-?). Original drawing on paper. Sigled in black char...

Marie and Joseph on Horseback is an original artwork realized by George Henri Tribout. Original unsigned watercolor drawing on paper. Fair conditions, light scratches and wear some...

Rudolf SCHLICHTER (1890-1955) Seated man ; head studies India ink on paper Signed "R. Schlichter" at the bottom right 59 x 46 cm Missing at the top l...

Figure is a pencil drawing on brown paper by Charles Landelle (1812-1908). The state of preservation is good. The sheet is mounted on a cardboard pas...

Paul-Emile Lecomte (1877-1950) Landscape by he river Signed lower right watercolor on paper 11.5 x 13.5 cm Framed : 23 x 29 cm Paul Emile Lecomte particularly excelled in small-...

Frank Nelson Wilcox (American, 1887–1964) Boats off Concarneau, France, c. 1910-11 Unsigned Watercolor on paper 12.5 in. h. x 8.5 in. w. 22 in. h. x 18 in. w., as framed Frank Nelso...

Georges Antoine Rochegrosse (1859-1938) Studies of men, Pencil on paper 23 x 41.5 cm Signed lower right In good condition In a modern mount 41 x 52.5 cm Provenance: Estate of the...

Mother Goose is a French fairy tale and later of English nursery rhyme. In this illustration, we see an oversized Goose in a yellow bonnet elevated on a step and engaging with an attentively curious young girl and young boy. Large vases of flowers frame them. Titled in pencil center bottom: "Goosey, Goosey Gander. Where do you wander? Signed Margaret Evans Price...

Deco Dancing Hungarian Expressionism European Drawing Modernism Figurative Dance. 22 1/2 x 16 inches. Signed lower left. Framed. BIO Hugó Scheiber was born in Budapest in 1873. At the age of eight, he moved with his family from Budapest to Vienna. In 1898, to help support his family after they had returned to Budapest. He started working during the day, attending painting classes at the Commercial Art School in the evening. In 1900, he completed his studies. Scheiber showed an early interest in German Expressionism and Futurism. In 1915 he met Marinetti, who invited him to join the Futurist movement. Because Scheiber's paintings conflicted with academic style of the Hungarian art establishment, his work was virtually ignored in his own country. In 1919, he and his friend Béla Kádár held an exhibition organized by Hévesy in Vienna, which was a great success, so much so that the Budapest Art Museum purchased two of his drawings. In 1920, Scheiber returned to Vienna. A turning point in his career came in 1921 when Herwarth Walden, founder of Germany's leading avant-garde periodical, Der Sturm...

Academic Nude Study by E. Rantz Charcoal on laid paper signed in charcoal Lalanne Watermark, c. 1880-1900 Image: 24 3/4 x 18 3/4"

Edward Dufner is one of America's finest American Impressionists. This is an exceptional work by him. The technique is exquisite with the brushwork being refined and sophisticated,...

This watercolour is hand signed with the artist’s monogram and dated in pencil "EH 29" [1929] in the lower right image. It is also hand titled in pencil “Badende Frauen” [Bathing Wo...

CLAUDE ALLIN SHEPPERSON, ARA, ARWS (1867-1921) Petrushka – Scene from the Ballets Russes Signed l.l.: Shepperson Watercolour over traces of pencil Framed 30.5 by 45.5 cm., 12 by 18 in. (frame size 52.5 by 66 cm., 20 ¾ by 26 in.) Provenance: Richard C Davis...

Paul Lecomte (1842-1920) A village street with a calvary Signed lower left Watercolor on paper 29 x 23.5cm Framed : 46.5 x 420cm In quite good condition, light traces of a former fr...

This rare 1924 colored pencil drawing by renowned American artist George Elbert Burr (1859–1939) beautifully captures the raw, untamed drama of the Arizona de...

The Pope and the globe is a modern artwork realized by Gabriele Galantara (1865-1937) in 1909. Watercolor, tempera, ink and pencil on paper. Hand signed on the right margin. Good c...

Vain efforts is a modern artwork realized by Gabriele Galantara (1865-1937) in 1909. Watercolor, tempera, ink and pencil on paper. Hand signed on the right margin. Good conditions ...

The Globe is a modern artwork realized by Gabriele Galantara (1865-1937) in 1909. Watercolor, tempera, ink and pencil on paper. Hand signed on the right margin. Good conditions and...

The theatre's betrayal  is a modern artwork realized by Gabriele Galantara (1865-1937) in 1909. Watercolor, tempera, ink and pencil on paper. Hand signed on the right margin. Good ...

Bertha Corbett Melcher's The Sunbonnet Babies, with their flat, minimalist, semi-abstract, and symbolic style, are an early example of American Modernism/Surrealism by a lesser-known female artist/illustrator. The present work demonstrates a delicate balance between abstraction and representation and between the commonplace and the mysterious. Her signature use of a hat or sunbonnet to hide the identity of her subjects is a big conceptual and visual idea that has been overlooked in the fine art canon. The exact meaning of this is unknown, but 120 years after they were done, it resonates as somewhat surrealistic. Her work is a contradiction. She shows innocent children engaging in everyday activity but are depicted in vail of mystery. Why does she not show the faces of her subjects? Watercolor on paper (each) Six drawings in all on one board. 6-1/8 x 5 inches (15.6 x 12.7 cm) (each) One signed; two initialed; three not signed. Six drawing in all on one board. 6-1/8 x 5 inches (15.6 x 12.7 cm) (each) One signed; two initialed; three not signed The Sunbonnet Babies characters were created by illustration Bertha L. Corbett when she was challenged to create a faceless character who nonetheless was engaging and appealing. The characters were a wild hit and appeared in books, comics, and popular collectibles. They also became a popular motif in quilting. Few of Corbett's original drawings for the babies are known to survive, making this a rare offering. From: Wikipedia Sunbonnet Babies are characters created by commercial artist Bertha Corbett Melcher (1872–1950). Sunbonnet Babies featured two girls in pastel colored dresses with their faces covered by sunbonnets. Sunbonnet Babies appeared in books, illustrations and advertisements between the years of 1900 and 1930. Sunbonnet Babies were later used as a popular quilting pattern also known as Sunbonnet Sue.[1] Melcher created a male version of the Sunbonnet Babies, named the 'Overall Boys' in 1905.[2][3] History Bertha L. Corbett Melcher Sunbonnet Babies were created by Bertha Corbett Melcher (1872–1950).[4] Melcher was born in Denver and moved with her family to Minneapolis in the 1880s. Melcher attended art school in Minneapolis with plans to become a commercial artist.[5] She may have also studied with Howard Pyle.[6] By the 1920s, Melcher had moved to Topanga, California.[7][4] Melcher started drawing the Sunbonnet Babies in 1897. The origin of the signature style of the faces being covered by sunbonnets is contested by different members of Melcher's family and by Melcher herself. In an interview, Melcher's brother said their mother suggested Bertha avoid the difficulty of drawing faces by covering them with sunbonnets.[4] Melcher herself said that covering faces allowed her to communicate with body position.[4] Melcher has also said that the design came about in "answer to a friend’s challenge to convey emotion without a face."[2] Melcher published her first book, The Sun-Bonnet Babies in 1900.[3] Later, she shopped her illustrations to publisher Rand McNally of Chicago, and nine subsequent books were written by Eulalie Osgood Grover and illustrated by Bertha Corbett. In 1905, Melcher wrote The Overall Boys.[3] Many of these books were used as primers and used widely in primary schools in the midwest. Melcher used the sunbonnet babies in advertising and later established the Sunbonnet Babies Company. She started a studio to illustrate and create merchandise of the Sunbonnet Babies.[2] The characters also appeared in a comic strip.[2] Quilting Melcher herself did not originate the use of the sunbonnet babies as quilting pattern. The Sunbonnet Babies quilting pattern appeared in textile art 1910's in the Ladies Home Journal 1911–1912 in a quilt stitched by Marie Webster. The pattern was popular during the Great Depression. In the American South, it was often known as "Dutch Doll" until the 1970s.[3] There was also a quilt pattern based on the "Overall Boys," known by the various names including “Overall Bill, “Overall Andy,” “Sunbonnet Sam,” “Suspender Sam,” “Fisherman Jim."[3] Many patterns for quilts and sewing were designed by Ruby Short McKim and published in nationally syndicated newspapers.[8] Sunbonnet Sue became symbolic of 'female innocence and docility'.[9] Linda Pershing collected accounts from women quilters who depicted 'Sues' doing activities such as smoking, wearing more revealing clothing, and subverting feminine stereotypes.[10] In 1979, the “Seamsters Union Local #500," a group of quilters from Lawrence, Kansas, created “The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue," a quilt depicting the character murdered in a variety of ways.[3] Collectibles Sunbonnet Babies merchandise includes school books, valentines cards, postcards, china, and quilts.[2][5][11] Sunbonnet Babies were adapted into three dimensional porcelain collectibles and pottery made by Royal Bayreuth Company in the early 1900s. The Royal Bayreuth China...

Fabled Vogue Magazine Cover Artist Eduardo Garcia Benito depicts a perfectly posed long-neck flapper with her reflection in a mirror, Her extrav...

Albert Marquet Boat in Tunisia, ca. 1920 Ink on paper 7 1/5 × 5 in 18.2 × 12.8 cm Hand-signed by the monogram lower right

Complex Art Nouveau patterns intertwined with gracefull figures define this work by American Artist and illustrator, teacher and lecturer Mildred Bailey Carpenter. Signed in cartouc...

Artist: Guy Dollian (1887 - 1964) Title: L'Escalier Date: 1926 Medium: Watercolor on paper, signed and dated lower left Image Size: 18.5 x 11.5 inches Frame Size: 27 x 19.5 inches

Henry Ottmann (1877-1927) Bust-length portrait of a woman signed lower right pastel on paper 53 x 43 cm Framed 74 x 64 cm This bust portrait of a woman shows us another aspect o...

HERBERT JOHNSON HARVEY (British 1883-1956) Reverie Signed with monogram and dated l.l.: HJ 09 Red chalks Framed 29.5 by 22 cm., 11 ¾ by 8 ¾ in. (fra...

Jules Cheret (1836-1932) Three studies of women charcoal on paper signed on the bottom left 39 x 24.5 cm This drawing of studies was part of the artist's workshop as so it bears the...

Léa Lafugie (1890–1972) was a painter who traveled extensively across Asia. She was renowned for her portraits. She studied at the School of Decorative Arts, followed by the École de...

Jean-Gabriel Domergue (1889-1962) Paris, Les Bouquinistes sur les quais, (The booksellers on the banks) Signed and titled lower right Pencil on paper 17 x 27 cm In good condition, ...

Frosch Serenade is an original drawing in watercolour and pencil on paper, realized by Ludwig Von Hofmann . Framed. In very good conditions. The artwork represents a nude woman-bu...

Date: 1923 Medium: Drawing Signature: Signed Lower Left Contact for exact dimensions. published in Good Housekeeping magazine dated February 1923 for a story titled “She never forg...

Marius de Zayas was born in Veracruz, Mexico and emigrated to New York with his family in 1907. He joined the art staff of the New York Evening World newspaper and quickly became kno...

Gustave Poetzsch (1870-1950) Baby on a Chair Original red chalk drawing on linen watermarked paper 19 x 13 cm (c. 7,5 x 5 in) Stamp of the Estate auction sale on the back Very goo...

JOHN DRONSFIELD (1900-1951) Costume Design Signed l.l.: Dronsfield Watercolour and pencil Unframed 42 by 34 cm., 16 ½ by 13 ½ in. (mount size 61.5 by 53 cm., 24 ¼ by 21 in.) John...

Turn of the century drawing signed E. Rantz on laid paper. Watermark: Lalanne Frame: 29 3/4 x 24 Image: 24 3/4 x 18 3/4"

Andre Derain (French, 1880 – 1954) Lady in a dress Pencil on paper Signed with atelier stamp (lower right) 14.5/8 x 9.3/8 in. (37 x 23 cm.) André Derain (10 June 1880 – 8 September ...

Henri ROYER Nancy 1869 - 1938 Paris Study of dancers Sanguine pastel and charcoal on cream white paper Circa 1900-1910 Unsigned 47 x 62.5 cm sheet 67 x 83 cm cm frame Provenance: Es...

Nude Female Torso Charcoal on paper, c. 1920 Stamped and initialed in pencil "Asa Cheffetz/A.D.C" Estate signature by wife, A.D.C. Exhibited: Museum of F...

Couple Embracing Sumi ink drawing, c. 1928 Signed lower right: Shinsui (early variant signature) Most probably an illustration for one of the four volum...

Clara Montalba (British, 1842-1929) Venetian Canal Scene, 1919 Watercolor on paper 10 x 15 1/2 in. Framed: 16 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 1 1/4 in. Signed and dated lower right: Clara Montalba 19...

Mystery Artist Untitled, c. 1929 Ink and pencil on paper Sight: 17 x 13 1/2 in. Framed: 22 x 19 3/8 x 1 in. This illustration by an unidentified artist depicts a quintessential Amer...

Martha Walter Mothers and Children, North Africa Signed lower right Watercolor on paper 6 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches Martha Walter was best known as a painter of colorful beach scenes and ...

Head of a Deco Woman (recto) Standing Male Model (verso) Graphite on paper, 1925 Signed with the artist's initials "PW" and dated 1925 Created while the artist was studying at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1925. This is a preliminary drawing to a series of class assignments. From a sketch book Image/Sheet size: 7 5/8 x 4 7/8 inches Condition: Excellent Slight syrface dirt Provenance: Estate of the Artist Winchell Heirs Paul H. Winchell (1903 – 1971) was a printmaker, illustrator, teacher, and gilder according to Crump, 2009 (Minnesota Prints and Printmakers, 1900- 1945, Minnesota Historical Society Press). He was the son of Mrs. Looman Winchell of Shepherd Rd as noted in a 1937 newspaper article (Painsville, O. Telegraph). Winchell grew up in North Perry, Ohio and then studied and worked as an instructor at the Art Institute of Chicago. He studied with Leon Kroll (1884 – 1974), Boris...

Otto Eerelman 1839-1926 Dutch Concours de Chiens au Promenade Watercolor on paper Signed “O. Eerelman 1904” (lower left) A tour de force watercolor by celebrated Dutch artist Otto Eerelman, one of 19th-century Europe's most popular and important animal portraitists, this charming composition captures a bustling cross-section of fashionable elites walking their equally fashionable canine companions. Eerleman takes care to render the detailed attire of his subjects, complete with plumed hats and layers of lace trim. The artist paints the plethora of pets in equally painstaking detail, capturing the nuances of each different breed represented. Eerelman mastered the art of depicting not only the dogs’ physical characteristics but also their unique expressions and personalities. His wealthy clientele would bring their pets to his home in The Hague where they would live for a period of time while having their portraits done, allowing for a remarkably true-to-life portrayal. This energetic watercolor, with its profusion of color and texture, harnesses the affluence of its subjects and the leisurely whimsy of their luxurious lives. Hailing from Groningen, Netherlands, Eerelman was dubbed the “Northern Rembrandt” during his lifetime. He received his artistic training at the Academy Minerva in Groningen, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and then private lessons in the studio of the great Lawrence Alma Tadema. He successfully captured the attention of the Dutch court, particularly Princess Wilhelmina...

Serene 1920's watercolor landscape of calm water snaking through a lush marshy wetland, dotted with small birds, wildflowers and swaying grass, by an unknown artist (American, 20th C...

William Glackens, 1870-1938 Criticizing Ernest Lawson’s Art Class, ca. 1907 Watercolor and pencil on paper Signed (at lower left): Glackens Inscribed ...

An accomplished life study depicting a gentleman wearing a dapper waistcoat by the artist Edward Ridley (1883-1946). Signed verso. 'ESK' blindstamped. On paper.

The present work by pioneering female artist Helen Dryden was most likely a cover assignment for Vogue Magazine. It is deftly rendered in a tight linear art nouveau style with flat c...

French School circa 1900 Studies of characters, four drawings in a same frame Pencil on paper Sizes of the drawings (from left to right and from top to bottom) A couple at a table ...

Johannes Friedrich Heinrich Hänsch (1875-1945), Red blooming war landscape with dead soldier, 1918. Watercolor and gouache on paper, 15 x 24.5 cm (image), 27 x 37 cm (sheet size / frame), monogrammed and dated "19JH18" at lower left. - Paper slightly darkened About the artwork Despite the relatively small format, the watercolor with an internal frame depicts a panoramic view of a flat landscape stretching to the horizon. As far as the eye can see, the poppies bloom in flaming red. The flowers are not rendered individually, however, creating an almost cohesive red surface. The bright red is interspersed with vegetal green. A complementary contrast that creates an intense color effect. In this color contrast, a white area breaks through from the middle ground, widening towards the foreground and surrounding a brown hole. Next to it, in blue, is the actual protagonist of the painting, the first thing that catches the eye: a dead soldier. Next to him is his helmet, revealing the empty interior. The brown, hollow shape corresponds to the hole in the ground. A shell funnel is surrounded by bright ash, which, like the inverted helmet, becomes a sign of death. The soldier's arms point to the funnel, while the empty helmet paraphrases the calotte of the skull and, like the funnel, thematizes the empty darkness of death. The soldier's body, however, is intact and not - as in Otto Dix's triptych "The War" - a dismembered corpse. Instead, Johannes Hänsch activates the landscape, especially the color, to illustrate a blooming landscape of death that extends from the shell funnel in the foreground to the rising column of smoke on the horizon. If the soldier's body is intact, the tangle of barbed wire emblematically placed over the empty helmet also appears tattered. On the right side of the picture, the barbed wire even seems to stretch its arms to the sky in horror. Against the background of this allegory, the content of the bright red also becomes clear: the landscape is drenched in blood, literally a sea of blood, and the single unknown soldier stands pars pro toto for all those who died on the battlefield. Dying in war is not dying in community, but in solitude. In order to emphasize the isolation in death, Johannes Hänsch has set the blue of the soldier in the axis given by his body in the middle ground of the picture into the red sea. A master of landscape painting, Hänsch succeeds in creating a natural-looking landscape allegory that illustrates the horror and death of war, without depicting the brutality of war itself. This singular 'war memorial' of the unknown soldier is the opposite of heroization and yet the dignity of the deceased soldier is preserved through the integrity of his body. About the artist As the son of the sculptor Adolf Haensch, the young Johannes received his first artistic training in his father's Berlin studio. However, he eventually decided to become a painter, and in 1897 he entered the Berlin Academy of Arts. He initially studied under Paul Vorgang and Eugen Bracht, and was particularly influenced by Bracht's increasingly colourful landscape painting. In 1901 he moved to the class of Friedrich Kallmorgen, with whom he spent several weeks on excursions into nature. In 1905 he became a master pupil of Albert Hertel, who taught him watercolour painting. From 1903 to 1933 he exhibited annually at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition, the exhibitions of the Berlin Artists' Association and the Munich Glaspalast. In 1905 he was awarded the Carl Blechen...

Free Thinking is a modern artwork realized by Gabriele Galantara (1865-1937) in the early 20th century. Watercolor, ink and pencil on paper. Hand signed  on the left margin. Good c...

Francis De Erdely (Hungarian/American, 1904-1959) “Mexican Shark Fishermen” water color and Pencil on Paper within a pine frame and protective glass, circa 1930. Signed: ‘De Erdely’...

Elsa, 1915 Charcoal on paper, 14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm) Signed and dated lower left: Daniel Garber / 1915 Provenance The artist; Estate of the artist, 1958; Tanis Garber Page,...

SOLD UNFRAMED The Diggers in Ashford by Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro (1878-1952) Ink on paper 22.6 x 17.3 cm (8 ⅞ x 6 ¾ inches) Signed with Estate stamp lower left Inscribed and dated 191...

China ink drawing realized by Gabriele Galantara in 1920s. Hand monogrammed lower right. Good condition.

"La sentinelle de Thérèse" (The Sentinel of Therese), two soldiers discussing, bears a handwritten note at the bottom "if you feel like sneezing, you will go under the window of the ...

Giolitti - Harlequin is a modern artwork realized by Gabriele Galantara (1865-1937) in the early 20th century. Watercolor, ink and pencil on paper. Hand signed on the left margin. ...

Springtime is an Ink and Watercolor realized by Pierre Georges Jeanniot in 1905, for the magazine "Rire". Good condition on a yllowed paper. Stamp signed on the lower riht corner. ...