WILLIAM WALLACE DENSLOW (1856-1915) THE SUNDAY HERALD. Circa 1895.

22 1/4x16 1/2.
Condition A-: minor foxing and wrinkles in image. Paper.
Denslow was a book illustrator (designing over 100 covers for Rand, McNally & Company), and a cartoonist for magazines and newspapers in addition to being a poster artist. He is best known for illustrating The Wizard of Oz in 1899. This poster predates March 4, 1895, when the newspaper changed its name to Times-Herald. It is most famous poster (called "Imitation of a Newsboy Selling the Herald to a Haughti Lady"), and is a self-acknowledged parody of the work of Will Bradley (see lot 18). Denslow writes in a letter dated January 14, 1896, "When I made the 'Haughti Lady' for the Herald, I tried to imitate Bradley's style and caricature it as a joke on Bradley who is a dear friend of mine." (Koch p. 64). Denslow even signs the poster "Will W. Denslow." Their relationship was so close that Denslow has been credited with helping Bradley get his first job as a book illustrator. Margolin p. 200, Keay p. 14, not in Kiehl, not in DFP.