Sale 2495 - Illustration Art, December 6, 2018

163 c CONSTANTIN ALAJALOV. “Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit.” Promotional illustration for the Broadway production at the Morosco Theater, November 1941, staged by John C. Wilson. Watercolor and ink on stiff paper. 356x286 mm; 14x11 1 / 4 inches. Unsigned. Scattered soiling. [1,500/2,500] This popular show cast Clifton Webb, Peggy Wood, Leonora Corbett, and Mildred Natwick in the lead roles. It transferred to the Booth Theatre on May 18, 1942 and ran for a total of 657 performances. Alajalov created the iconic production poster showing the three (as Charles, Ruth-his second wife-, and the spiritual medium, Madame Arcady) conjuring the spirit of Charles’s first wife, Elvira. In this image, Charles and Ruth are snuggling on the couch while Elvira hovers above, about to cast a vase in anger. 164 c RICHARD AMSEL. Double-breasted high collar jacket. Charcoal on board. 457x279 mm; 18x11 inches, on 19 1 / 4 x12 1 / 4 -inch board. Signed and dated “Amsel [19]67” in lower right image. Three repairs in central image. Tipped to matte.   [400/600] 165 c NO LOT 163 164