Offered by: Robert Funk Fine Art
1581 Brickell Ave., Suite 2303 Miami, FL 33129 , United States Call Seller 305.857.0521

Showrooms

Babette the Cat, Female Illustrator

$ 12,000
  • Description
    A stylized cat named "Babette" is depicted licking her paw. It is rendered in black and white, which bears the influence of Asian art in its simplicity of line and use of wash and bleeding edge color.
    Signed upper left. Titled lower right, matted and not framed. Window size, 8.6 x 8.25.
    Cover illustration for Babette (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1937) - Accompanied by a copy of the book

    Clare Turlay Newberry (April 10, 1903 – February 12, 1970)[1] was an American writer and illustrator of 17 published children's books, who achieved fame for her drawings of cats, the subject of all but three of her books. Four of her works were named Caldecott Honor Books.
    Biography
    Born in Enterprise, Oregon, she began drawing cats at the age of two and sold her first illustrations, a series of paper dolls, to the children's magazine John Martin's Book at age 16.[2] She spent a year at the University of Oregon (1921–1922), then studied art at the School of the Portland Art Museum (1922–23) and the California School of Fine Arts (1923–24), but never finished her academic art training.[2][3]

    In 1930, she went to Paris to study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. The next year, in order to earn enough for passage to return to the US, she illustrated a story she had written before leaving for Paris, about a little girl named Sally who got a lion for her birthday. It was published as her first book, Herbert the Lion, to acclaim.[3] The New York Times praised it as "refreshingly imaginative" and "full of high spirited nonsense".[4]

    She had hoped to become a portrait painter, but she abandoned this in 1934 for cat illustration. Her next book, Mittens, was the story of a six-year-old boy who posts an ad for his lost kitten. It became a bestseller and was named one of the Fifty Books of the Year by the American Institute of Graphic Arts.[3] Her four Caldecott Honor Books were Barkis, about a sister jealous of a brother's new puppy, Marshmallow, about the relationship between a cat and a baby rabbit, April's Kittens, about a family with an extra kitten in an apartment that permits only one cat, and T-Bone the Babysitter, about a cat with spring fever.[3] Her book Smudge was also one of the AIGA Fifty Books of the Year.[1]

    With the exception of Herbert the Lion and Lambert's Bargain, about the birthday gift of a hyena, Newberry's subjects were all drawn from life.[2][3] In 1946, she purchased a month-old ocelot named Joseph for $500 from a sailor who brought it from Venezuela. The New York Times reported the news with the headline "Still A Lot For Ocelot".[5] After using the ocelot, now dubbed Rufus, as a live drawing model, Newberry offered to give the ocelot away to a good home, but unfortunately Rufus died, possibly from a disease acquired from one of his many visitors or prospective owners.[6][7]

    The culmination of her works is expanded by the Clare Turlay Newberry Papers[8] and consists of many works, such as an impressive 242 original drawing works. Along with this there is also other types of types of works that range from book ideas, sketches, and illustrations. They also include some of her earliest works in the form of scrapbooks from her early years of life.

    Herbert the Lion (1931)
    Mittens (1936)
    Babette (1937)
    Barkis (1938), Caldecott Honors winner
    Cousin Toby (1939)
    April's Kittens (1940), Caldecott Honors winner
    Drawing a Cat (1940)
    Lambert's Bargain (1941)
    Marshmallow (1942), Caldecott Honors winner
    Pandora (1944)
    The Kittens ABC (1946, revised edition 1965)
    Smudge (1948), Caldecott Honors winner
    T-Bone the Babysitter (1950), American Institute of Graphic Arts as one of the best in 1948
    Percy, Polly, and Pete (1952)
    Ice Cream for Two (1953)
    Widget (1958)
    Frosty (1961
  • More Information
    Documentation: Signed
    Origin: United States, California
    Period: 1920-1949
    Materials: Watercolor, Crayon and Pencil on paper
    Condition: Good. Good - Light toning otherwise presents well. Art is glued to mat from on the back.
    Creation Date: 1937
    Styles / Movements: Modernism, Post Impressionism, Illustration
    Incollect Reference #: 748215
  • Dimensions
    W. 11.5 in; H. 10.5 in;
    W. 29.21 cm; H. 26.67 cm;
Message from Seller:

You'll find an eclectic group of art works at Robert Funk Fine Art. 45 years of experience has shaped Director Robert Funk's multi-perspective approach to presenting art. As an undergrad in painting, he studied with great teachers such as first-generation abstract expressionist Robert Richenburg and hyper-realist painter Janet Fish. In Graduate School he worked with famed critic E.C. Goossen and went on to work as a Photographer, New York Advertising Art Director, and Art Collector.

Sign In To View Price close

You must Sign In to your account to view the price. If you don’t have an account, please Create an Account below.

Loading...
Loading... Loading...
  • This website uses cookies to track how visitors use our website to provide a better user experience. By continuing to browse this website, you are agreeing to our cookie policy
    Ok
Join InCollect close

Join to view prices, save favorites, share collections and connect with others.

Forgot Password?
  • Be the first to see new listings and weekly events
    Invalid Email. Please try again.
    Enter