Greenaway, Kate. Susan, Mary, Emily: A Superb Original Watercolor Drawing by Kate Greenaway. [No place]: Kate Greenaway, circa 1880. SIGNED WITH THE ARTIST'S INITIALS lower left. The drawing is elegantly matted to 7-5/16" x 9-7/16" within a custom antique exhibition frame measuring 14-1/2" x 16-1/2".
A pristine, museum-quality masterwork from the golden age of English children's illustration. The condition of the watercolor drawing is FINE.
Whimsical Aesthetic of the Late Victorian Countryside
This exceptional original drawing beautifully captures the idealized, nostalgic world that made Kate Greenaway an international cultural phenomenon. The composition depicts three young girls standing in a vibrant field carpeted with daisies, shaded by the delicate, outstretched branches of an overhead fruit tree in full vernal bloom, with a classic English country cottage nestled into the rolling background. Executed with Greenaway's signature translucent washes, meticulous line work, and soft palette, this painting stands as a definitive representation of her celebrated Pre-Raphaelite influenced style.
Intimate Family Association and Model Identification
The piece boasts an unusually intimate glimpse into the artist's personal life and working methods. Preserved on the original backing board, faintly but discernibly written, is the signature of John Greenaway (Kate’s beloved brother, sub-editor, and trusted artistic advisor) along with the contemporary identification of the three young subjects as "Susan," "Mary," and "Emily." Notably, the central figure of Mary represents one of Kate Greenaway’s absolute favorite and most frequently utilized models, whose distinct features anchor some of the artist's most iconic published greeting cards and book illustrations from the 1880s.
Whistler-Associated Frame Craftsmanship by William Holland
Adding immense crossover appeal for fine art connoisseurs is the original frame backing, which retains the historical paste label (mount stamp) for "W. Holland / Frame Maker & Mount Cutter / 12, Sherwood St." Historical directories from the National Portrait Gallery (London) document William Holland operating at this specific Sherwood Street address between 1896 and 1914.
Holland was a highly elite artisan favored by the upper echelon of the London art scene; most famously, James McNeill Whistler heavily relied on Holland’s workshop during this exact window. In 1896, Whistler famously lauded Holland in his personal correspondence for having "laid down my water colour capitally," continuing to employ him for his most prestigious gallery framing accounts. The presence of this mount stamp suggests this Greenaway watercolor was prized and formally framed by a premier London collector at the turn of the century.
Prestigious Schiller Collection Pedigree
The provenance of this painting is impeccable, having emerged from the landmark December 16, 2020 Heritage Auction, Once Upon a Time... Rare Children's Literature from Justin G. Schiller, Ltd. (Lot 45152). Schiller is widely recognized as the pioneering dean of historical children's literature antiquarianism, and items from his private gallery holdings represent the pinnacle of bibliographic and aesthetic curation. Original, fully-realized watercolor drawings by Kate Greenaway—particularly those featuring named favorite models and carrying esteemed institutional provenance—remain among the most fiercely contested treasures in the market of 19th-century illustration art.
A MATCHLESS, SIGNED ORIGINAL VICTORIAN MASTERPIECE BRIDGING THE HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD LITERARY ICONOGRAPHY AND ELITE LONDON GALLERY CRAFTSMANSHIP.
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