Catalog: Fine Art: Drawings: Pen (1)

A Charles Dana Gibson THE WEAKER SEX ink sketch study. We are proud to offer this original preliminary ink sketch by the famed American illustrator Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944), the creator of the Gibson Girl. He first came to eminence as the foremost magazine illustrator of his time in the late 19th century, later in life he turned completely to painting. His long and illustrious career takes more room than alloted here to discuss, and is well covered elsewhere on the Internet. This item is a 22" x 15-1/2" preliminary ink study on paper of his "The Weaker Sex" illustration. The hair is done in characteristic fashion but the inking is more simplistic, and the magnifying glass is not as finely detailed as in the final work, which in the final version has a fourth woman in the upper right hand corner. His signature (Charles Gibson) is visible in the shadow area beneath the arm of the woman holding the magnifying glass. On the back of the drawing No. 84 and Mrs (or Miss) Drew is written in pencil. Besides the fact that he apparently was working out the details of the shadows under the arm, he most likely deliberately drew lines over the signature as this piece does not have the perfection of his finished work. The paper is a slightly heavy thickness of sketch pad paper; it is framed in a black-painted wood frame with gilding (minor paint spots and a couple of dings to the frame). Some notes on condition: there are some creases, a tear in the upper left, a few scratches to the paper surface, some brown foxing and some spotting and a water stain on the right hand side. A rarity and an interesting example of a great work in progress. This item is in very good original condition with the condition issued noted above. All items are thoroughly and conservatively graded and all condition issues are noted; all items are secondhand and may have slight signs of gentle use. Securely packed surface shipping to the continental U.S. is $35 (other spots may vary) - insured is higher, and mandatory on items over $85 if paid with a credit card. Items paid with a credit card will be shipped to confirmed addresses only. We do ship internationally. All of our prices are in $US.