Jessie Willcox Smith illustrations valued at $150,000 at Heritage

Heritage Auctions' Illustration Art sale will see two works from Jessie Willcox Smith headline on October 13.

Jessie Willcox Smith Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Willcox Smith's illustrations will face competition from a Gil Elvgren pin-up


Jessie Willcox Smith was a famed American illustrator in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, and is best known for her iconic contributions to a number of top publications including Ladies' Home Journal, Harper's and Good Housekeeping.

Holding the highest estimate of the sale is her fantastic depiction of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, which was created as a calendar illustration for Swift's Premium Soap in 1916. It is described by Heritage as "perhaps the finest example of Jessie Willcox Smith's art we have ever offered" and is certainly a stunning representation of her work.

The piece has been with the same family collection since 1941 and is in very good condition. Signed by the artist at the lower left, it will sell with a $100,000-150,000 estimate.

Following this will be Smith's A Rainy Day, a classic mother and child image that was first published in Dream Blocks, a 1908 book by Aileen Higgins. It is for her whimsical images of children that Smith is best known, prompting an estimate of $80,000-120,000.

However, both works will face competition from Gil Elvgren's Peek-a-View, one of his most recognisable pin-up paintings. Created for the Louis F Dow calendar of 1940, it is expected to bring $60,000-80,000, but is likely to exceed this given its status as one of the most reproduced pin-up paintings of all time.

At another of Heritage Auction's Illustration Art sales in June, one of Elvgren's pin-ups soared past estimate by 259% to achieve $176,500.

See the results of this sale here.

Paul Fraser Collectibles has a range of illustration art available to collectors. Perhaps the highlight of our collection is a rare drawing of Winnie the Pooh from E H Shephard.

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