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Description
This is a FOUND Christmas card. My wife used to work at a Salvation Army store, and this came in as a donation one day. A beautifully executed engraved print apparently sent out as a Christmas greeting.
As you can see it was created in 1916 as a Christmas card, and was sent out by a woman named Susan Austin Cooper. There is a penciled name at the bottom of the print: "H. L. Bailey" . This may be the name of artist who did the etching for Ms. Cooper.
I have tried to locate any sort of reference to Ms. Cooper on the internet with no luck.
The image is definitely a PRINT made from an etched metal plate. Back in 1916, this was a very standard method for creating multiple copies of an image. No Ink Jet printers around back then.
The art is very skillfully rendered. Obviously the artist was a professional. This is no amateur attempt. The scene the art depicts appears to be the Pacific Northwest or possibly parts of California. Especially considering that this was created almost 100 years ago. Note the little cabin and rabbit in the etching. Wonderful little details.
Now comes the cool part:
When I decided to post this image on DA this very morning, it dawned on me that I had never tried to look up the penciled name "H.L. Bailey" on the card. So I did...well I guess I should have done that a LONG time ago.
Just minutes ago I discovered that this print was apparently made by Harry Lewis Bailey, a NOT UNKNOWN California artist from the last century! Check out the style and signature:
[link]
It may NOT be like finding a lost Van Gogh, BUT it's still pretty cool! I have no idea if this small print is worth very much, but the history of it means more to me than any dollar amount the print may hold. In the last few minutes I have found out several things about Mr. Bailey, the saddest of which was that he committed suicide in 1933 during the Depression when he was not able to make his living as an artist. But I also learned he was involved with:
[link]
[link]
Anyway, this is pretty cool, and a wonderful little discovery!
As you can see it was created in 1916 as a Christmas card, and was sent out by a woman named Susan Austin Cooper. There is a penciled name at the bottom of the print: "H. L. Bailey" . This may be the name of artist who did the etching for Ms. Cooper.
I have tried to locate any sort of reference to Ms. Cooper on the internet with no luck.
The image is definitely a PRINT made from an etched metal plate. Back in 1916, this was a very standard method for creating multiple copies of an image. No Ink Jet printers around back then.
The art is very skillfully rendered. Obviously the artist was a professional. This is no amateur attempt. The scene the art depicts appears to be the Pacific Northwest or possibly parts of California. Especially considering that this was created almost 100 years ago. Note the little cabin and rabbit in the etching. Wonderful little details.
Now comes the cool part:
When I decided to post this image on DA this very morning, it dawned on me that I had never tried to look up the penciled name "H.L. Bailey" on the card. So I did...well I guess I should have done that a LONG time ago.
Just minutes ago I discovered that this print was apparently made by Harry Lewis Bailey, a NOT UNKNOWN California artist from the last century! Check out the style and signature:
[link]
It may NOT be like finding a lost Van Gogh, BUT it's still pretty cool! I have no idea if this small print is worth very much, but the history of it means more to me than any dollar amount the print may hold. In the last few minutes I have found out several things about Mr. Bailey, the saddest of which was that he committed suicide in 1933 during the Depression when he was not able to make his living as an artist. But I also learned he was involved with:
[link]
[link]
Anyway, this is pretty cool, and a wonderful little discovery!
Image size
971x1421px 1.67 MB
© 2012 - 2024 MJBivouac
Comments49
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Hi MJ, I took etching back in art school for 3 years, so I know that this took some work. If I didn't know better I believe it to be dry point, but some of the random marks around the edge of the piece could also a regular etching, which means he covered the plate with a ground, made his drawing and lettered it in the ground, and then soaked the plate in acid so that the acid bit the metal in the areas that he had drawn into. I could be wrong but I don't think some of the line work could have been engraved (especially those squiggly lines - I know real technical term there - in the trees).
In any event this is a really nice print, and I'm glad you shared it with the rest of us on your da page. Like you said it may not be a lost Van Gogh, but the story behind it is priceless!
In any event this is a really nice print, and I'm glad you shared it with the rest of us on your da page. Like you said it may not be a lost Van Gogh, but the story behind it is priceless!