Arthur Burdett Frost (1851-1928)
The Christmas 'Possum, 1900
signed "A.B. Frost" lower right
gouache, 23 1/2 by 16 1/4 in.
This published work appeared as an engraving in a 1900 "Harper's Weekly" magazine.

Arthur B. Frost was born in Philadelphia in 1851, but spent his most prolific years in New Jersey. Considered one of the great illustrators of the Golden Age of American Illustration, he illustrated more than ninety books and produced thousands of illustrations for Harper's Weekly, Scribner's, and Life magazines. Frost's illustrative work chronicles the mood and details of the daily life of farmers, hunters, and fishermen, as well as barnyards and pastoral motifs. By 1876, he was on Harper's staff working on many books, including "Tom Sawyer," "Uncle Remus," and "Mr. Dooley." He also illustrated Theodore Roosevelt's sporting book, "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman." Frost was an ardent sportsman who spent his summers and autumns fishing, rowing, and hunting ducks and snipe. He completed hundreds of watercolors and oils of the New Jersey seaside. Frost is best known for his hunting and shooting prints which capture the drama of sport in realistic, detailed settings. Frost lived at his estate, Moneysunk, in Convent Station, New Jersey.

Frost created this work for the December 8 issue of "Harper's Weekly" magazine in 1900. A copy of the magazine accompanies the lot.

Provenance: Eugene E. du Pont Collection
Private Collection, by descent from the above

Literature: "Harper's Weekly," December 8, 1900, p. 1155, illustrated.

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