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Jessie Willcox Smith Sold at Auction Prices
Illustrator, Painter, b. 1863 - d. 1935
(b Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1863; d Philadelphia 1935) American illustrator. Jessie Willcox Smith is known for her iconic children's book illustrations. She also illustrated commercially for companies such as Kodak Film. Willcox graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1888 after studying drawing. She then went on to attend the Howard Pyle School of Illustration at the Howard Institute. She illustrated hundreds of magazine covers for Good Housekeeping. Smith went on to illustrate for many other major publications including Harper’s Bazaar and McClure’s magazines. Her most well-known book illustrations include Little Women and Water Babies. Children and childhood were her most common subjects, and she became known for her portraits of children as well.
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soldAug. 27, 2023JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH (PA, 1863-1965)
Est: $1,000 - $2,000Twin Sisters Singing in Easter Finery, watercolor on paper, initialed lower right, in white frame, french-ruled mat, under glass, OS: 14 3/4" x 10 3/4", SS: 3 3/4" x 4 1/4".
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
soldMar. 23, 2023Two WWI Posters
Est: $200 - $300Haskell Coffin (1877-1941), Help Us Help Our Boys, 28 x 21 in.; Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935), Have You a Red Cross Service Flag?, 27-7/8 x 21 in.; unframed Provenance: Private Collection
Brunk Auctions
soldJan. 01, 2023Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935)
Est: $8,000 - $12,000Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935), original illustration "I KNOW THAT MAN". Illustration for Cream of Wheat Ad. Ex: Kraft Food Collection. Sight 12" x 11", overall 20" x 19".
Copake Auction Inc.
soldSep. 18, 2022Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 - 1935) American
Est: $1,500 - $2,500Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 - 1935) American Watercolor and Gouache on Paper Measure 3 1/2"in H x 4 1/4"in W and 14 3/4"in H x 10 3/4"in W with frame Known for: Child figure-genre painting, magazine and book illustration Biography: A pre-eminent illustrator and student of Howard Pyle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, she was known for her Good Housekeeping magazine covers of which she did several hundred and for other children's story illustrations. She was educated at the School of Design for Women and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia from 1885 to 1888, and in 1888, had her first illustrations published in St. Nicholas magazine. In 1894, she began study with Howard Pyle, who made illustration seem happy and easy, an attitude she welcomed after the what she perceived as the serious, moody, coldness of the atmosphere at the Pennsylvania Academy. Pyle teamed Smith with Violet Oakley to do colour chromolithographs for Houghton Mifflin's edition of Longfellow's Evangeline. She shared a studio with Oakley and Elizabeth Shippen Green at 1523 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, and in 1902, they moved to The Red Rose, a remodeled colonial inn on a country estate, and they worked and lived there with several of their parents. This led to them being called The Red Rose Girls.* Later the three women lived together in Chestnut Hill, and when Green married the threesome broke up, and Smith lived and worked the remainder of her life at her home in Coghill, near Philadelphia, dying on May 3, 1935.
Coral Gables Auction
soldJul. 31, 2022Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 - 1935) American
Est: $1,500 - $2,500Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 - 1935) American Watercolor and Gouache on Paper Measure 3 1/2"in H x 4 1/4"in W and 14 3/4"in H x 10 3/4"in W with frame Known for: Child figure-genre painting, magazine and book illustration Biography: A pre-eminent illustrator and student of Howard Pyle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, she was known for her Good Housekeeping magazine covers of which she did several hundred and for other children's story illustrations. She was educated at the School of Design for Women and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia from 1885 to 1888, and in 1888, had her first illustrations published in St. Nicholas magazine. In 1894, she began study with Howard Pyle, who made illustration seem happy and easy, an attitude she welcomed after the what she perceived as the serious, moody, coldness of the atmosphere at the Pennsylvania Academy. Pyle teamed Smith with Violet Oakley to do colour chromolithographs for Houghton Mifflin's edition of Longfellow's Evangeline. She shared a studio with Oakley and Elizabeth Shippen Green at 1523 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, and in 1902, they moved to The Red Rose, a remodeled colonial inn on a country estate, and they worked and lived there with several of their parents. This led to them being called The Red Rose Girls.* Later the three women lived together in Chestnut Hill, and when Green married the threesome broke up, and Smith lived and worked the remainder of her life at her home in Coghill, near Philadelphia, dying on May 3, 1935.
Coral Gables Auction
soldJun. 12, 2022Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 - 1935) American
Est: $1,500 - $2,500Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 - 1935) American Watercolor and Gouache on Paper Measure 9 1/2"in H x 7 1/2"in W and 14 3/4"in H x 10 3/4"in W with frame Known for: Child figure-genre painting, magazine and book illustration Biography: A pre-eminent illustrator and student of Howard Pyle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, she was known for her Good Housekeeping magazine covers of which she did several hundred and for other children's story illustrations. She was educated at the School of Design for Women and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia from 1885 to 1888, and in 1888, had her first illustrations published in St. Nicholas magazine. In 1894, she began study with Howard Pyle, who made illustration seem happy and easy, an attitude she welcomed after the what she perceived as the serious, moody, coldness of the atmosphere at the Pennsylvania Academy. Pyle teamed Smith with Violet Oakley to do colour chromolithographs for Houghton Mifflin's edition of Longfellow's Evangeline. She shared a studio with Oakley and Elizabeth Shippen Green at 1523 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, and in 1902, they moved to The Red Rose, a remodeled colonial inn on a country estate, and they worked and lived there with several of their parents. This led to them being called The Red Rose Girls.* Later the three women lived together in Chestnut Hill, and when Green married the threesome broke up, and Smith lived and worked the remainder of her life at her home in Coghill, near Philadelphia, dying on May 3, 1935.
Coral Gables Auction
soldJun. 09, 2022JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH (1863-1935) "Tasting."
Est: $12,000 - $18,000JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH (1863-1935) "Tasting." Study for the story in McClure's magazine, 1907 and as the frontispiece in "The Five Senses" by Angela M. Keyes (New York: Moffat, Yard and Company, 1911). Watercolor on paper mounted to board. 191x110 mm; 7 1/2x4 1/4 on 9x6 3/4-inch sheet. Not signed, but with ownership name of Miss Bessie Cleveland on verso. Provenance: Private collection, Maine; current owner. A sweet and detailed watercolor in the style and execution of Smith's other studies. The preparatory drawing of "Touching" from this same series was sold by Swann Galleries in 2018.
Swann Auction Galleries
soldMay. 10, 2022Jessie Willcox Smith (American, 1863-1935) May I Have the Pleasure, Good Houseke
Est: $40,000 - $60,000Jessie Willcox Smith (American, 1863-1935) May I Have the Pleasure, Good Housekeeping cover, November 1926 Watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper laid on board 22 x 15-3/8 inches (55.9 x 39.1 cm) (sheet) Signed lower right: Jessie Willcox Smith Titled on the reverse: May I Have the Pleasure PROVENANCE: Kendra Krienke, New York; Private collection, New York, acquired from the above, 2002; By descent to the present owner. As Jessie Willcox Smith biographer S. Michael Schnessel has aptly observed, "Jessie Willcox Smith was the creator of the ideal child. She pictured a child that was without equal in reality--innocent, unblemished, never naughty, always perfect. Smith's touching, sensitive portraits of children at play won her the hearts of millions of Americans." Smith was the predominant cover artist for Good Housekeeping during the magazine's golden period. Her charming covers were a major factor in the magazine's astounding success. Sales exceeded one million copies in the mid-1920s, and Good Housekeeping became the most profitable magazine in the Hearst Corporation's empire. The magazine was three-times more profitable than Hearst's other eight magazines combined in this era. HID01801242017
Heritage Auctions
soldDec. 05, 2021JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH (AMERICAN, 1863-1935) THE LITTLE GARDENER (PORTRAIT OF EDWARD MORRIS DAVIS III)
Est: $20,000 - $30,000Jessie Willcox Smith (American, 1863-1935) The Little Gardener (Portrait of Edward Morris Davis III) Signed 'JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH.' bottom left, oil on illustration board 25 1/4 x 17 3/8 in. (64.1 x 44cm) Provenance The Artist. Mr. & Mrs. Isaac Roberts Davis, Spring House, Pennsylvania. Edward Morris Davis III, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By descent in the family. Private Collection, Pennsylvania. Condition report: Frame: 32 1/2 x 24 5/8 x 1 1/2 in. To request a condition report, please email Raphaël Chatroux at [email protected]
Freeman's
soldJun. 08, 2020lithograph by Jessie Willcox Smith
Est: $100 - $125Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 â 1935) was an American illustrator during the Golden Age of American illustration. She was considered "one of the greatest pure illustrators". She was a contributor to books and magazines during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is a cute framed vintage color litho depicting two little girls knitting together on chairs with a ball of yarn or wool
Yardley Antiques
soldApr. 06, 2020vintage color lithograph by Jessie Willcox Smith
Est: $100 - $125Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 â 1935) was an American illustrator during the Golden Age of American illustration. She was considered "one of the greatest pure illustrators". She was a contributor to books and magazines during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is a cute framed litho depicting two little girls knitting together on chairs with a ball of yarn or wool
Yardley Antiques
soldOct. 21, 2019vintage color lithograph by Jessie Willcox Smith
Est: $100 - $125Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 â 1935) was an American illustrator during the Golden Age of American illustration. She was considered "one of the greatest pure illustrators". She was a contributor to books and magazines during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is a cute framed litho depicting two little girls knitting together on chairs with a ball of yarn or wool
Yardley Antiques
soldJun. 13, 2019SMITH, JESSE WILCOX. 1863-1935. 2 titles: 1. MACDONALD, GEORGE. 1824-1905. At the Back of the North Wind. Philadelphia: David McKay, 1919. Color title page illustration and 8 color plates by Smith. Publisher's grey cloth with illustration by Smith
Est: $500 - $700SMITH, JESSE WILCOX. 1863-1935. 2 titles: 1. MACDONALD, GEORGE. 1824-1905. At the Back of the North Wind. Philadelphia: David McKay, 1919. Color title page illustration and 8 color plates by Smith. Publisher's grey cloth with illustration by Smith applied, custom quarter morocco clamshell box. Rubbed, some soiling, slightly loose.2. SMITH, NORA ARCHIBALD. 1859-1934. Boys and Girls of Bookland. New York: Cosmopolitan Book Company, 1923. 4to. 11 color plates by Jesse Wilcox Smith. Publisher's green pictorial cloth gilt, pictorial dust jacket, custom quarter morocco clamshell case. Jacket soiled, chipped at lower front corner, with a few tears, corners rubbed, pages slightly browned.Jesse Wilcox Smith was among the preeminent women in book illustration during the golden age. She provided artwork for an extensive list of children's books, as well as periodicals such as Harper's Bazaar. She shared a studio with Elizabeth Shippen Green, Violet Oakley and Henrietta Cozens — collectively known as the "Red Rose Girls." Smith, Green and Oakley were later inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame.
Bonhams
soldMar. 06, 2019JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH | Bob, King of the Fortunate Isle
Est: $30,000 - $50,000mixed media on board
Sotheby's
soldMar. 06, 2019JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH | The Water-Babies (A Group of Five Works)
Est: $7,000 - $10,000each: ink and watercolor on paper
Sotheby's
soldMar. 06, 2019JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH | Shh…Baby Sleeping
Est: $80,000 - $120,000mixed media on board
Sotheby's
soldNov. 08, 2018JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH (AMERICAN, 1863-1935) FIVE O'CLOCK TEA, THE CHILD IN A GARD
Est: $60,000 - $80,000Jessie Willcox Smith (American, 1863-1935) Five O'clock Tea, The Child in a Garden, Scribner's Magazine interior illustration, December 1903 Watercolor, oil, and charcoal on board 24 x 16 inches (61.0 x 40.6 cm) Signed lower right: Jessie Willcox Smith PROVENANCE: Private collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. HID04901242017
Heritage Auctions
soldNov. 08, 2018JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH (AMERICAN, 1863-1935) AMONG THE POPPIES, THE CHILD IN A GAR
Est: $60,000 - $80,000Jessie Willcox Smith (American, 1863-1935) Among the Poppies, The Child in a Garden, Scribner's Magazine interior illustration, December 1903 Watercolor, oil, and charcoal on board 24 x 16 inches (61.0 x 40.6 cm) Signed lower left: Jessie Willcox Smith PROVENANCE: Private collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. HID04901242017
Heritage Auctions
soldMar. 28, 2018JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH | The Little Land
Est: $25,000 - $35,000gouache and mixed media on board
Sotheby's
soldMar. 28, 2018JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH | Exhibition Announcement
Est: $5,000 - $7,000ink and gouache on paperboard
Sotheby's
soldMay. 21, 2017Watercolor, Attributed to Jessie Willcox Smith
Est: $3,000 - $5,000Attributed to Jessie Willcox Smith (American, 1863-1935), "I Had a Secret Laughter...by Walter de la Mare," watercolor illustration, unsigned, sight: 13"h x 10.75"w, overall (with frame): 16"h x 13.75"w
Clars Auction Gallery
soldDec. 04, 2016JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH, (AMERICAN, 1863-1935), "EASTER MORNING"
Est: $15,000 - $25,000JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH (american, 1863-1935) "EASTER MORNING" Signed ''Jessie Willcox Smith" bottom right; also inscribed with title verso, mixed media on board 22 x 15 3/8 in. (55.9 x 39.1cm) provenance: Property from the Estate of Barbara Crawford, Berwyn, Pennsylvania. note: The present work was featured on the cover of Good Housekeeping magazine in April, 1927.
Freeman's
soldDec. 04, 2016JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH, (AMERICAN 1863-1935), SEATED YOUNG GIRL READING A BOOK
Est: $25,000 - $40,000JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH (american 1863-1935) SEATED YOUNG GIRL READING A BOOK Signed ''Jessie Willcox Smith'' lower right, mixed media on board 22 3/4 x 15 7/16 in. (57.8 x 39.2cm) provenance: Property from the Estate of Barbara Crawford, Berwyn, Pennsylvania. note: Willcox Smith was one of the most celebrated and highly paid illustrators of her time. She exclusively designed every cover of Good Housekeeping magazine from December 1917 until April 1933, becoming the artist with the longest run of illustrated magazine covers to her name. Her gift as an illustrator and sensitivity in depicting her main subject matter - children - meant she was never without commissions for prominent magazines, books, advertisements as well as children''s portraits. The commercial success of her images highly influenced the culture of nurseries, family rooms and playgrounds in America, and still appeal to millions today. A Philadelphia native, Willcox Smith attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where she studied under renowned American artist Thomas Eakins, as well as Drexel University''s inaugural illustration class under celebrated American illustrator Edward Pyle. It was at the latter (now the Moore College of Art & Design), where she met two fellow artists with whom she would become lifelong friends and close collaborators: Violet Oakley and Elizabeth Shippen Green. Together the three became known as "The Red Rose Girls," spending fifteen years living and working together at the Red Rose Inn in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
Freeman's
soldDec. 04, 2016JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH, (AMERICAN 1863-1935), "THE GOBLINS FELL BACK A LITTLE WHEN HE BEGAN, AND MADE HORRIBLE GRIMACES ALL THROUGH TH...
Est: $30,000 - $50,000JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH (american 1863-1935) "THE GOBLINS FELL BACK A LITTLE WHEN HE BEGAN, AND MADE HORRIBLE GRIMACES ALL THROUGH THE RHYME" Signed ''Jessie Willcox Smith'' bottom right, mixed media on board 22 x 16 in. (55.9 x 40.6cm) provenance: The Collection of Margaret and Florence Hoopes. Acquired from the above. From the collection of the late Katherine M. Welding. note: The current lot is an original work that was used as an illustration in George MacDonald''s famous children''s book The Princess and the Goblin. The fairy tale was first published in 1872 by Strahan and Co. In 1920, another version was published in Philadelphia by David McKay Company, with Willcox Smith''s illustrations engraved and printed by the Beck Engraving Company. In the story, eight-year-old Princess Irene lives in a desolate kingdom alongside a vengeful race of goblins who inhabit nearby caves. The princess befriends a young miner named Curdie, and together they have adventures involving the goblins and other characters in the kingdom. The present illustration depicts Curdie in a cave with the goblins, intimidating them with his knowledge of their anatomical weakness: soft, vulnerable feet.
Freeman's
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