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Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
EDWARD PENFIELD (1866-1925) "A poster dedicated to the old maids of Simpkinsville." Maquette for poster, 1897. Watercolor on paper. 7 1/2 x 9 inches. Signed, inscribed and dated "By yours in admiration, Edward Penfield, August 10, 1897."
This small, framed poster maquette is believed to be dedicated to Ruth McEnerny Stuart, author of In Simpkinsville: Character Tales (1897), as both worked for Harper's at the same time; he created covers and later became the art director, and she wrote and edited for the magazine. The first story in her book, "An Arkansas Prophet," refers to a spotted cat much like the one shown here.
The work belonged to Wright Howes, author of U.S.-Iana and antiquarian bookdealer in Chicago in the 1920s through '60s. It was most likely given to him by his uncle, Silas Orrin Howes (1867-1918), who was an editor and bookseller in New York and friend of writers such as Ambrose Bierce and Christopher Morley.
