?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
CHARLES H. ALSTON (1907 - 1977) Seated Man.
Pencil on wove paper, circa 1940. 460x242 mm; 18x10 inches. Signed and inscribed "OWI" in pencil, lower right.
Provenance: Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Bee Newspaper. The paper was one of the major publications for African Americans and had many famous illustrators working for them.
"OWI" stands for Office of War Information, meaning the illustration has been approved by the War department when making certain references to WWII activities or a depiction of the "enemy."
After the success of the WPA, Alston had a hand in the war effort drawing numerous cartoon and illustrations for the Office of War, including a weekly cartoon panel, under the supervision of Augusta Savage's brother-in-law, Ted Poston.
