Sale 2471 - Printed & Manuscript African Americana, March 29, 2018

75 c   (ART.) Barthé,Richmond. Greeting card engraved and sent by the sculptor. Wood- cut on cream wove paper, 6 1 / 4 x 4 1 / 2 inches, titled “Greetings, Richmond Barthé,” with his Autograph Note Signed on verso to Alain [Locke?]; light crease in lower right margin, otherwise minimal wear. Np, 1936 [800/1,200] A greeting card engraved by the famed sculptor Richmond Barthé (1901-1989), depicting a man playing a mandolin under a night sky. He designed a selection of greeting cards in the 1930s, including another depict- ing his bronze, Blackberry Woman, the first piece by an African-American artist acquired by the Whitney Museum of American Art. The present example is very likely addressed to the writer Alain Locke, sending Christmas greetings and the “hope that the coming year will bring good health and a new lease on life. All good luck with your book.” Swann offered another example of this card, signed but not inscribed, in its 6 October 2011 sale, lot 16, then said to be Barthé​‘s first print to come to auction. See Vendryes, Barthé: A Life in Sculpture, page 56.