Andrew Wyeth Archive: 7 Signed Letters, Cards & Photos, with Related Items

A group of seven signed cards, letters, and photographs by Andrew Wyeth, with related documents, drawings, etc. concerning his family and art. The signed items consist of two signed cards, two autograph letters, a signed note and sketch, a signed photograph, and a signed exhibition catalog. With varying degrees of wear, soiling, and toning. Some silvering to photographs. Flattened folds to letters. All with bold signatures. Please refer to the photographs for further condition information. Details of the signed items are as follows:

1. Signed White House Card. Measuring 4.5" x 6", [Washington, D.C.], dated February 19, 1970. A small pamphlet card from an event at the White House, held to honor Andrew Wyeth. Signed "With love from Andy."

2. Signed Christmas Card. Measuring 8.25" x 5.25", No place, undated. An illustrated image of a tree branch decorated with ornaments and a candy cane. Signed "Merry Christmas from Betsy & Andy."

3. Autograph Letter Signed "Andy". 3pp of a bifolium, measuring 4.75" x 4.75", Pennsylvania, undated. Addressed to Miss Herr, regarding her birthday. In part: "Your birthday is coming up on the 13th and I want you to know I am thinking of you dearest one and our wonderful trips into the Lancaster County to visit the early Herr house. In several weeks I will be sending you a new book of my paintings titled 'Christina's World' which I hope you will enjoy…"

4. Autograph Letter Signed "Andy". 1p, measuring 8.5" x 11", Cushing, Maine, dated July 4, 1981. Addressed to Miss Herr, sending a few drawings from an exhibition. In part: "Miss Olson is a lady I [k]now on the coast of Maine. I only wish I had made as many drawings of you as I did of Miss Olson…" With a reply on verso in pencil from Miss Herr.

5. Signed Dog Sketches. 1p, measuring 10" x 8", No place, undated. A page with three partial sketches of a dog, done in pencil. Signed and inscribed, "For Elizabeth Herr my sweet heart. A-"

6. Signed Photograph. Measuring 13" x 11", No place, dated February 1949. A black and white photograph of Wyeth in a field, looking off into the distance. Signed and inscribed at the lower margin, "To my dearest Aunt Elizabeth Sargent with love Andy Wyeth. Feb 1949."

7. Signed Exhibition Catalog. Measuring 12" x 12", Japan, dated 1984. Produced by Bijutzu Shuppan Design for Iida Gallery. Printed in Japanese. Inscribed on the front free endpaper, "For my dearest Aunt Elizabeth. All my love Andy."

Also included with the lot are numerous cards and letters written and signed by Andrew's wife, Betsy, as well as notations by Aunt Elizabeth Sargent, sketches by M. Sargent, exhibition pamphlets from N.C. Wyeth and Carolyn Wyeth, historical records for the Herr family, a photograph of Andy and his father, and a letter from a biographer of N.C. Wyeth. The group as a whole is a wonderful glimpse into Andrew Wyeth's life as well as those of his extended family.

Andrew Newell Wyeth (1917-2009) was an American realist painter and one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century. His favorite subjects were the land and people around him, both in his hometown of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and at his summer home in Cushing, Maine. One of his best-known works is his painting "Christina's World", which is currently in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. On May 15, 1940, Wyeth married Betsy James, who would later introduce him to Christina Olson, who was to become the model for "Christina's World". The couple's son, Jamie Wyeth, followed his father's and grandfather's footsteps, becoming the third generation of Wyeth artists.

Andrew was the youngest of the five children of illustrator and artist N.C. (Newell Convers) Wyeth, who was an attentive and supportive father. N.C. Wyeth's work appeared in magazines, posters, and advertisements, as well as in books such as "Treasure Island" and "The Last of the Mohicans". In October 1945, N.C. and his three-year-old nephew, Newell Convers Wyeth II (b. 1941), were killed when their car stalled on railroad tracks near their home and was struck by a train. Andrew Wyeth referred to his father's death as a formative event in his artistic career, in addition to being a personal tragedy.

Andrew Wyeth was also a descendant of Hans Herr, who was a Mennonite who settled in western Pennsylvania in 1711. The “Hans Herr House” is the oldest original Mennonite meeting house in the Western Hemisphere and was the home of Hans Herr and his wife Elizabeth. The house remained in the family until the early 1900s when it was converted into a barn and storage shed. Wyeth painted the house in 1949 in three separate iterations.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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