| Title: |
Town by a River |
| Artist: |
Fraser, Eric (Westminster, 1902 - Penn's Place, Hampton, 1983) |
| Date: |
c. 1937 - 1939 |
| Medium: |
Original Pen and Ink Drawing |
| Note: |
Eric Fraser: For a period of over fifty working years,
Eric Fraser was one of England's most distinguished illustrative artists.
Showing great artistic talent as a teenager he won a scholarship to Goldsmith's
School of Art, London, in 1919. Goldsmith's boasted a rich bounty of great
teachers, but none impressed Eric Fraser as much as Edmund Sullivan (1869-1933),
one of Britain's finest book illustrators of the early twentieth century.
Fraser shared Sullivan's enthusiasm for pen and ink art and the belief
in the importance of line as an "expression of the essential form in the
simplest and most direct manner." * When the older master fell ill in
1923 he asked Eric Fraser to take charge of his class. * (Sylvia Backmeyer,
Eric Fraser: Designer & Illustrator, London, Lund Humphries, 1998). |
| |
From 1926, Eric Fraser produced a vast amount of commissioned
work. Perhaps his largest client was the Radio Times which was
a popular guide devoted to radio programmes. The golden age of the radio
was a boon to the illustrative artist in that he created visual images
for the myriad of ideas and sounds people were hearing from their radios.
This original drawing was possibly made for this illustrated magazine.
Other magazines that sought Eric Fraser's talents included Vogue, Pall Mall
and Harper's Bazaar . |
| |
Eric Fraser's career as a book illustrator is no less distinguished.
He illustrated his first book in 1927 and during the following years was
responsible for such classics as, Complete Works of Shakespeare
(Collins, 1950), The Reign of Nero (Folio Society, 1952), The
Ephesian Story (Golden Cockerel Press, 1957), The Book of the Thousand
Nights and One Night (Folio Society, 1958), The Art of Love (Limited
Editions Club, 1971), Joan of Arc (Oxford University Press, 1974)
and Tolkein's, The Lord of the Rings (Folio Society, 1977). Eric Fraser
also illustrated well over one hundred book jackets for first edition
novels from such authors as Alex Waugh and J. B. Priestley. |
| |
Although Town View by a River does not bear a date
the time of its creation can fortunately be determined by the fact that
it still has the original agency sticker on its verso (please see the
reproduction provided at the end of the text). The R. P. Gossop Agency
was formed in the early 1930's and represented many artists. From 1937,
Eric Fraser worked almost exclusively through this agency. It first set
up business in Covent Garden and in 1937 moved to the address on the verso
of this drawing -- 36 Carter Lane. By the beginning of the Second World
War Gossop had again changed address, this time to a street in the Strand.
Finally, in 1956, it moved to its final location in Great Russell Street. |
| |
During the years this drawing was created the R. P. Gossop
Agency received numerous commissions from the Ministry of Labour, the
Ministry of Information, the Festival of Britain, the Royal Mail, London
Transport and the previously mentioned, Radio Times. Town View
by a River was thus commissioned by one of these institutions. |
| |
Like many other original drawings by Eric Fraser, Town
View by a River is a triumph of the art of pen and ink. It is easy
to see why he is now ranked among the greatest illustrative artists of
the twentieth century. |
| Size: |
6 3/4 X 9 3/4 (Sizes in inches are approximate, height preceding width of plate-mark or image.) |
| |
Framed and Matted with 100% Archival Materials |
| |
View larger Framed Image |
| |
 |
| Buy Now |
Price: $1,150.00 US |
| Condition: |
Drawn upon heavy, laid paper and with full margins. Signed
by Eric Fraser within the drawing to the lower right. Also containing
the original Gossop sticker on the verso. In excellent condition without
a trace of light staining or scuffing. This original drawing stands as
a prime example of the famous illustrative art of Eric Fraser. |
| |
| Original Agency Stickers on the Verso of this Original Pen and Ink Drawing |
 |
 |
The Label Reads; Eric Fraser,
R. P. Gossop Ltd,
Artists' Agents,
36 Carter Lane, London EC4,
Cedntral 6950. |
The Sticker Reads; To the Works,
This Copy is Valuable
Please Take Greatest Care of It
City. |
|
| Subject: |
Eric Fraser , Town View by a River, original pen and ink
drawing, English book illustrator, Radio Times, Gossop, Vogue, Pall Mall
and Harper's Bazaar. |
| Important Information: |
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