Description:

Comic Art - Reginald Birch published art with drawings of classic Victorian children: "A Candy - man"

Illustration original art. Ink and goache on bristol board, 21" x 18". Soft soiling/handling marks, corner edgewear, well outside of margins. Faint pencil marks. Verso with large publisher's pencil marks identifying the date of Nov. '94, and the title of the piece "The Candy-man".Signed by Reginald Birch lower right "Birch".


A spectacular inked final published piece, with the little boy sporting the iconic Fauntleroy suit, also known as "The Buster Brown suit", which started a fashion craze in America. Although unclear which publication this was ultimately included in, Reginald Birch was a regular contributor to numerous magazines during his residency in New York, including St. Nicholas, the Century, Harper's, Life, and The Youth's Companions, among others. Birch was best known for his depiction of the titular hero of Frances Hodgeon Burnett's 1886 novel Little Lord Fauntleroy, whose young protagonist's long, curly hair and velvet and lace suit, which became widely imitated by mothers as a pattern of dress for little boys. The story, and his illustrations, became such as success that first it was published as a serial in St. Nicholas Magazine from November 1885 to October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's (the publisher of St. Nicholas) in 1886. Birch's illustrations set fashion trends and the novel even set a precedent in copyright law when Burnett won a lawsuit in 1888 against E. V. Seebohm over the rights to theatrical adaptations of the work.

The wonderful inked images of these children are perfectly reminiscent of the Victorian era, a graceful, childish figure in a black velvet suit, with a lace collar, and with lovelocks waving about, and a handsome, manly little face dressed in the classic fashion of the time. The Buster Brown suit included a velvet cut away jacket and matching knee pants worn with a fancy blouse with a large lace or ruffled collar. These suits appear right after the publication of Mrs. Burnett's story (1885) and were a major fashion until after the turn of the 20th century. Many boys who did not wear an actual Fauntleroy suit wore suits with Fauntleroy elements such as a fancy blouse or floppy bow.

The adorable images of the two little girls standing aside their brother are also equally detailed, with the youngest holding a doll upside down dangling from her arms as she is mesmerized by the street vendor selling candy.

Signed by Birch lower right, this large spectacular piece is in great condition and would display beautifully framed.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

June 14, 2017 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000