Writing Thank You Notes

Details

GEORGE HUGHES (1907-1990)
Writing Thank You Notes
signed 'Hughes-' (lower left)
oil on canvas laid down on board
23 ¼ x 21 ½ in. (59.1 x 54.6 cm.)
Painted circa 1960.

Provenance

American Illustrators Gallery, Inc., New York.
Private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
Christie's Online, 14-20 November 2019, lot 144, sold by the above.
Acquired by the present owner from the above.

Literature

The Saturday Evening Post, January 9, 1960, cover illustration.
J. Cohn, Covers of the Saturday Evening Post: Seventy Years of Outstanding Illustration from America's Favorite Magazine, New York, 1995, p. 270, illustrated.

Brought to you by

Quincie Dixon Associate Specialist, Head of Sale

qdixon@christies.com +1 212 636 2141

Lot Essay

The present work initially illustrated the cover of the January 9, 1960 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, accompanied by the following explanation: "Cripes. What's the fun of getting presents if you gotta sit down and write a lot of dumb letters right away? I mean, Christmas was only two weeks ago. What's the big rush?...'What's that mom? What do you mean I should say something besides 'thank you for the skates'? What else is there to say?...Well. O.K.—I'll try.' DEAR UNCLE VIC: THANKS FOR THE NEAT ICE SKATES. THE POND FROZE LAST NIGHT, AND ALL THE OTHER KIDS ARE OUT SKATING RIGHT NOW. MAYBE MOM WILL LET ME OUT TOO, SOON AS I FINISH THIS LETTER. HOPE YOU ARE WELL, AND THANKS AGAIN FOR THE NEAT ICE SKATES...Artist George Hughes thinks that's the way young males react when handed pencil and stationery at this time of the year. He isn't quite sure because the five Hughes children are all girls." (The Saturday Evening Post, January 9, 1960, p. 3)

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