Title: "Wasn't it good for a boy to be..."

Medium: Charcoal and watercolor illustration on artist illustration board

Date Of Execution: 1900

Dimensions: Sight: 14 3/4 x 23 1/2"; Frame: 24 7/8 x 33 x 1 3/8"

Signature: Initialed and dated lower right: H.C.C. 1900

Provenance:

George Ade (1866-1944), noted American writer, newspaper columnist and playwright.

Gift of James Whitcomb Riley, c. 1910-1916

Note: James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916), in his declining health was assisted by George Ade to write his last five poems:

“With his health so poor, he decided to work on a legacy by which to be remembered in Indianapolis. In 1911 he donated land and funds to build a new library on Pennsylvania Avenue. By 1913, with the aid of a cane, Riley began to recover his ability to walk. His inability to write, however, nearly ended his production of poems. George Ade worked with him from 1910 through 1916 to write his last five poems and several short autobiographical sketches as Riley dictated.” (Courtesy of Wikipedia) 

 

References And Exhibitions:

Illustration for: Out to Old Aunt Mary's, published by Bobbs Merrill Company, Indianapolis, 1904, illustrated with artwork created by Howard Chandler Christy (1872-1952).

Condition Notes:

Appropriate aging and discoloration.

Edges of the artist's illustration board distressed

Price: (US) $6,500.00

Inventory Number: FA3597