Edouard Vuillard

Study of Lucie (Ralph) Belin seated in an interior

1915

Young Lady in Profile (Dorothy Gibson) Graphite on paper, c. 1915 Signed lower right (see photo). The sitter for this drawing, along with a huge number of Harrison Fisher’s works, is the model, turned actress, Miss Dorothy Winifred Gibson (1889-1946). She was one of the lucky ones who survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. There is an in depth biographical sketch available on Wiki. "Dorothy Winifred Gibson (1889-1946) is arguably one of the most fascinating women of the twentieth century. Her story is more than deserving of its own film or TV show and yet, if it was to ever appear on the screen, it would be in serious danger of being criticised as ‘too unbelievable’ or ‘farfetched’. But believe me, readers, everything I am about to tell you about Dorothy Gibson is true... Early Life Dorothy Winifred Gibson (originally Dorothy Winifred Brown, before her father died when she was three years old and her mother remarried), was born in New Jersey on 17 May 1889. Between 1906 and 1911 (aged 17-22), she appeared on stage as a singer and dancer in a number of theatre and vaudeville productions, and in 1909 she began modelling for Harrison Fisher, a famous commercial artist. Dorothy soon became Fisher’s favourite muse, and her image was seen regularly on postcards, merchandising products and even on the covers of magazines like Cosmopolitan. During this time, Dorothy met and married a pharmacist named George Henry Battier Jr, but the couple soon separated and were divorced by 1913. As early as 1911, Dorothy began appearing in movies, starting out as an extra but soon taking the leading roles in a series of films by Éclair Studios. Praised for her natural acting style and comedic flair, she was a huge hit – and arguably the first actress to be promoted as a star in her own right. Surviving the sinking of the RMS Titanic On 17 March 1912, after starring in a string of movies, Dorothy and her mother, Pauline, took a trip to Europe – but after a few weeks Dorothy was called back to America by the studio to start working on a new series of films. Dorothy and her mother were in Paris when they booked their tickets on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic, and boarded at Cherbourg on 10th April. On the night the ship sank, Dorothy had ‘spent a pleasant Sunday evening playing bridge with a couple of friendly New York bankers’ (her words, in an interview with the New York Dramatic Mirror). Despite the request of a steward for them to finish, they carried on with their game and it was not until about 11:40pm that Dorothy returned to the stateroom she shared with her mother. It was at that point that she felt ‘a long drawn, sickening crunch’ and, while not exactly alarmed, she decided nonetheless to investigate. Quickly noticing that the deck was ‘lopsided’, she rushed back to her room to fetch her mother, and the pair returned to the boat deck. Dorothy and her mother escaped from the ship on the first lifeboat launched (number 7), and given how quiet it was on the boat deck at the time, she asked her bridge partners to join them. However, events took a turn for the worst when a hole was found in the bottom of the lifeboat, causing icy cold water to rush in and almost flood the boat. Luckily, though, Dorothy explained, ‘this was remedied by volunteer contributions from the lingerie of the women and the garments of men.’ It is hard for us now to imagine the terrors of that night – and the emotional damage it caused to those who survived. After the event, Dorothy told the Moving Picture World, ‘I will never forget the terrible cry that rang out from people who were thrown into the sea and others who were afraid for their loved ones.’ Unbelievably, though, Dorothy was to re-enact the experience a mere five days after it happened, when she starred in the first film about the disaster. It was a silent movie, called Saved From The Titanic, and was actually hugely successful and the first of many hit films about the sinking. In the movie, Dorothy even wore the same clothes she had been wearing when the ship sank – a white silk dress underneath a cardigan and polo coat. Shortly after the release of Saved from the Titanic Dorothy gave up acting. An affair to remember...

Signed with the estate stamp initials lower right, Lugt 388a (see photo) Provenance: Richard Norton Gallery, Chicago (label verso) Fairweather-Hardin Gallery, Chicago (label verso) ...

Unsigned Graphite on paper

Signed and dated in pencil verso Titled "Joseph Pennell" recto Annotated verso: Adolph a Dehn Oct. 5 1915 Tonight I saw a duplicate of Whistler -- "Joseph Pennell." Bu...

Carolyn (Arms raised to her head) Graphite on laid paper Unsigned Provenance: Estate of the artist by descent to his Grandson Depicts the artist's wife Carolyn. Most probably created in Nashville, Indiana Related to the painting entitled "Maiden" in the Haan Museum, Lafayette, IN (see photo) Condition: Excellent Archival framing with TruVue Conservation Clear glass Image size: 10 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches Frame size: 18 7/8 x 16 inches Louis Oscar Griffith (1875-1956) Born in Greencastle, Indiana, Griffith grew up in Dallas, Texas where Texas artist and teacher Charles Franklin Reaugh recognized young “Griff’s” artistic talent. At age 18, Griffith moved to St. Louis where he attended the St. Louis School of Fine Arts. In 1895, he moved to Chicago where he worked making color prints for the firm Barnes and Crosby. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago and during a brief stay in New York, the National Academy of Design. A successful commercial artist with a studio in the Chicago Loop, Griffith was a member and president of the Chicago Palette and Chisel Club. He made his first trip to Brown County...

Portrait of Dr. Auguste Soins Black chalk on paper, c. 1883 Signed with the artist’s estate stamp, Lugt 1305a lower right (see photo) Note: This possibly is the preliminary drawing f...

"Planes of the Head" by Lu Haskew Graphite on Paper 14x12" framed, 10x8" image size ABOUT THE ARTIST: Lu considered it a must to work with live models once ...

Fine Graphite Portrait of Beautiful Young Woman by R.G. Smith Portrait dimensions 15.5" x 19.5". The frame measures 17.5" x 21.5". Signed in the lower right corner. The portrait ...

Born in Groton, Massachusetts in 1862, impressionist painter Edmund Charles Tarbell studied with George H. Bartlett at the Massachusetts Normal Art School, under Otto Grundmann at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and in 1883, entered the Académie Julian to study under Gustave Boulanger and Jules Joseph Lefebvre. In 1884, his education included a Grand Tour to Italy and the following year to Belgium, Germany and Brittany. Tarbell returned to Boston in 1886 where he began his career as an illustrator, private art instructor and portrait painter. He was a member of the Ten American Painters and was a leading member of a group of painters which came to be known as the Boston School. In 1889 Tarbell assumed the position of his former mentor, Otto Grundmann, at the Museum School. His students included Bertha Coolidge, Margaret Fitzhugh Browne...

Paris: A Wartime Study of Figures Relaxing in Springtime by Henri Miloch (1898-1979) Unsigned watercolour, graphite and gouache painting on artist's paper, unframed Sheet: 12.25 x 9...

French School, mid century The Bathing Suit unsigned watercolour painting with gouache, on paper (two-layers affixed together), unframed sheet: 18 x 14 inches Eye catching paintin...

English Graphite Sketch of a Female Nude, Forward Facing by Henry George Moon (British 1857-1905) on off white artists paper, unframed measurements: sheet 22 x 14.75 inches provena...