Heritage Illustration Art Auction Shatters Records!

Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries held its most recent auction of Illustration Art on June 14, 2007 in Dallas, Texas. The auction, which offered 189 lots, realized $861,460, although after-auction sales are still ongoing.

"This was an exceptionally strong auction," said Ed Jaster, Vice-President for Heritage, "marked by an extremely high level of bidder interest and participation. The lots offered represented many of the top names in this exciting field, including Norman Rockwell, Gil Elvgren, Theodor 'Dr. Seuss' Geisel, James Montgomery Flagg and Boris Vallejo, just to name a few."

"Gil Elvgren's oil painting 'Sitting Pretty (Lola)' stole the show," Jaster said, "selling for $131,450 and shattering the previous record of $93,500 that had stood for seven years. And while that work was everyone's favorite of the glamorous 'Elvgren girls' on offer, two other Elvgren originals also posted strong results at $53,775 and $38,837 respectively."

Jaster continued, "The highest-priced item in the auction was Norman Rockwell's charcoal drawing 'Girl Observing Lovers On a Train,' drawn as a cover study for the Saturday Evening Post, which brought $203,150. This exceptional result represents the third-highest price ever paid at auction for a drawing by the beloved artist, and the highest price in over six years. It's worth noting that the only drawings to command higher prices were significantly larger than this 33" x 28" work."

"Another record for an artist was the $20,315 paid for the oil painting 'Race To The Chuckwagon' by Charles Emerson," Jaster said. "Additionally, a gouache illustration by the beloved Dr. Seuss from 'The Seven Lady Godivas' fetched $17,925, while Haddon Sundblom's idyllic 'End of the Road' sold for $19,120."

"These highlight items more than lived up to our expectations," said Jaster, "with the auction averaging a strong $5,000 per lot across the board. We intend to put even stronger emphasis on this fascinating category in the future."

Highlights of the auction included:

Little Girl Observing Lovers on a Train, Saturday Evening Post cover study, 1944
NORMAN ROCKWELL (American 1894 - 1978)
Charcoal drawing on paper
33 x 28in.
Signed lower left
REALIZED: $203,150

Sitting Pretty (Lola), 1955
GIL ELVGREN (American 1914 - 1980)
Oil on canvas
31 x 24-1/2in.
Signed lower left
REALIZED: $131,450

American Beauties (I Hope He Mrs. Me), 1949
GIL ELVGREN (American 1914 - 1980)
Oil on canvas
30 x 24in.
Signed lower right
REALIZED: $53,775

A Neat Package, 1961
GIL ELVGREN (American 1914 - 1980)
Oil on canvas
30 x 24in.
Signed center-right
REALIZED: $38,837

Race to the Chuckwagon, 1909
CHARLES CHASE EMERSON (American 1871 - 1922)
Oil on canvas
36 x 24in.
Signed lower left
REALIZED: $20,315

End of the Road, 1957
HADDON SUNDBLOM (American 1899 - 1976)
Oil on canvas
33 x 27in.
Signed upper left
Original magazine story illustration for End of the Road by Paul M. Fitzsimmons, Ladies' Home Journal, June, 1955
REALIZED: $19,120

Sybil Godiva, 1939
THEODOR SEUSS (DR. SEUSS) GEISEL (American 1904 - 1991)
Gouache on paper
12-1/4 x 15in.
Signed lower right
The Seven Lady Godivas: The True Facts Concerning History's Barest Family by Dr. Seuss, Random House, 1939, original book illustration Caption: Sybil Godiva. She was the first ever to look a gift horse in the mouth
REALIZED: $17,925

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HA.com.

Prospective consignors and sellers of illustration art are invited tovisit www.HA.com/Sell. Or simply email Ed Jaster at EdJ@HA.com or call (800) 872-6467 extension 288.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalogue, please contact Client Services at (800) 872-6467, extension 150, or visit www.HA.com/Catalog to order by email.