ORIGINAL SELF PORTRAIT INK DRAWING, in. AN ONLOOKER IN FRANCE.1917 - 1919
by ORPEN. Sir. WILLIAM.;
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
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London, Greater London, United Kingdom
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About This Item
Williams and Norgate. London., 1921. FIRST EDITION. Large 8vo.(10.2 x 7.8 inches). Illustrated with 96 plates. Publishers original green cloth binding with gilt lettering and ruling to spine. Binding a bit rubbed and bumped but overall sound and the gilt still bright. This copy has a full page original ink self portrait of Orpen on the front blank endpaper, showing the artist painting the famous American Wall Street lawyer and art collector, Paul Cravath. ---- The drawing is inscribed by Orpen at the bottom of the page "My very dear Mr Cravath-It was a big job to tackle on those hot summer afternoons you must admit. All good wishes in 1922.-------(?) William Orpen". The drawing shows Cravath, a large man who stood 6ft 4inches, sat posing while a much smaller Orpen, the heat rising from his head and his sleeves rolled up, paints the portrait. ------ The book has the bookplate of the prolific author and traveller Cecil Roberts who has written a note on the blank verso of the frontis piece about Cravath and how he commissioned Orpen to paint his portrait, for a sum of £5000 plus expenses. While staying with Cravath at his Regency Long Island home, where the portrait was painted, Orpen gave Cravath this book as a memento. After Cravath died (in 1940) the house, and presumably some of the contents, was bought by Baron Eugene de Rothschild (in 1942) and Roberts notes that he was often his guest there. He doesn't explain how the book came to be his. There is one more note from Roberts, under the portrait of Lord Riddell (plate XLIX) mentioning his being at a press dinner given for him in 1919. ---------A side from being third in charge, and legal advisor, of the American War Mission during the Interallied War Conference of 1917, the first American mission to a European council in history, Paul Cravath is mainly known for his "Cravath System" which transformed the way law firms work and is still in use today. The "Cravath system" included hiring new law school graduates, then training them within the firm as associates, and eventually inviting the best to become partners. Throughout the twentieth century most of the growth of the big law firms relied on this system of recruiting, internal training, and loyalty to the firm. ----- A nice self portrait of the Artist at work, all the better for being within a copy of Orpen's fascinating war memoir.:
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Details
- Bookseller
- Paul Foster Books (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 6614
- Title
- ORIGINAL SELF PORTRAIT INK DRAWING, in. AN ONLOOKER IN FRANCE.1917 - 1919
- Author
- ORPEN. Sir. WILLIAM.;
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Williams and Norgate. London.,1921
- Date Published
- 1921
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Bookseller catalogs
- Signed and inscribed books;
Terms of Sale
Paul Foster Books
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About the Seller
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Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Rolled
- rolled spine or spine rolled. Damage to a book created by pressure to the spine making it fold or crease in the cover. Damage...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
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