213

Don Freeman

(1908-1978)

Martin Beck stops backstage of "The Mikado." 1934.

Pen and ink with correction fluid on paper.
Signed in lower right margin. Inscribed "Mr. Martin Beck the productions' Mikado stops backstage for a chat with this company — tea for the ladies of the cast" in lower margin.

Publication:
Newspaper illustration for "A Savoyard Tradition Relived at the Martin Beck," New York Herald Tribune, October 28, 1934.
9 5/8 x 13 1/2 in. (24.4 x 34.3 cm.)

  • Provenance:
    The artist.
    By descent to Roy Freeman, his son.
    Private collection, New Jersey.

    Don Freeman was the go-to illustrator for New York's theatre district. He writes, "...I have been drawn to all phases of theatrical expression. For many years I reveled in graphic reporting of the Broadway plays for New York newspapers."

    The titular subject of this illustration, Martin Beck, was a theatre performer and the owner of the eponymous theatre (now called the Al Hirschfeld Theatre) where The Mikado was performed in 1934. His status as the theatre's owner effectively makes him it's Mikado, or emperor.
  • Condition:
    Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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December 4, 2025 12:00 PM EST
New York, NY, US

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