Provenance:

Private Collection, New York.

Literature:

Rupert Sargent Holland, "Jack-in-the-Pulpit," in Roger Ingpen, ed., One Thousand Poems for Children, Philadelphia, 1923, pg. 98, illustrated.

Lot Note:

An influential artist of the "Golden Age of Illustration," Ethel Franklin Betts was a student of Howard Pyle and became widely celebrated for her ability to infuse children’s literature with a sense of romantic wonder. The present lot, created for the classic anthology One Thousand Poems for Children, embodies her signature style: a blend of rich, naturalistic textures and a dreamlike, narrative quality. By placing the children in feathered headdresses deep within a lush, sun-dappled forest to observe a squirrel, Betts elevates a simple moment of backyard play into a profound, hushed encounter with the natural world. Her mastery of soft lighting and botanical detail serves to bridge the gap between the everyday lives of her young audience and the imaginative, lyrical realms found within the poetry she illustrated.