On Thursday June 25th Nate Sanders Auctions sold a piece of original illustration art by Edward Gorey from Leaves From A Mislaid Album. Though Leaves was officially published in 1972 by The Gotham Book Mart, Mr. Gorey initially published selected images in First Person magazine in 1960.
This wonderfully atmospheric image shows a woman swiftly moving towards the top of the stairs in a darkened house. The look on the woman's face is pensive and hesitant as if she has heard a strange noise on the floor below.
Gorey's pen strokes on the original art convey the wispy textures of the woman's garments in fine detail. In the printed version, the fabrics become less diaphanous and see through. The blackness that surrounds the figure was achieved through pen strokes and ink washes. In the original art, the blackness is visibly three dimensional while on the card it is one tone of black which is effective but not nearly as evocative as the shifting blackness of the art.
To augment his income as a freelance illustrator Edward Gorey occasionally sold original art from the books he illustrated for other authors. Mr. Gorey decided early in his career that he would retain the original drawings from his own publications. This ensured that the original artwork could be used for optimum reproduction if a title was reprinted. Mr. Gorey did eventually sell artwork from two of his primary works including Leaves From A Mislaid Album. Art from this publication rarely comes on the market and when it does, it understandably becomes an event for collectors. This wonderful piece from Edward Gorey's early career sold for $15,115.00 (including the buyer's premium).
Images by Irwin Terry and courtesy Nate Sanders Auctions.
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