LOT #17126. Wladyslaw Theodor Benda (American/Polish, 1873-1948). By Trevi’s Waters, St. Nicholas Magazine interior, 1906. Artist’s crayon on Whatman’s Watercolor Sketching Board; 27-1/2 x 19-1/4 inches (69.8 x 48.9 cm) (image). Signed lower right: W.T.Benda
Wladyslaw Teodor Benda was a painter, illustrator and designer who studied in Krakow, Poland and Vienna, Austria before coming to the United States in 1899. He settled in New York City in 1902 where he further pursued his education and began working primarily as a graphic artist. By 1905 his work was appearing regularly in books and leading magazines including Collier’s, McCall’s, Ladies’ Home Journal, Good Housekeeping and St. Nicholas.
This original was published in the April, 1907 issue of St. Nicholas to illustrate a scene in the short story By Trevi’s Waters by Georgiana Homer; it was captioned “Carefully he tucked away the purse and hurried home.” In this heartwarming tale set in Rome a young boy finds a purse of gold coins carelessly lost in Trevi’s Fountain by an American tourist. He devotes his new-found riches to the restoration of sight to his sister.
W. T. Benda was highly regarded by publishers, the public and his fellow artists for his dependability, style and strong artistic abilities. He designed posters for Poland and America during the World Wars, and he worked as a designer in New York stage productions.
Starting $1. Heritage. 02/26/25. Sold $812.50 (with bp)
Rysunek Władysława Bendy, który został wykorzystany w amerykańskim tygodniku St. Nicholas w 1907 roku. Odszukałem ten numer tego czasopisma i podaję poniżej screen-shot oraz link. Na następnej jego stronie znajduje się inny rysunek artysty nawiązujący do ilustrowanego opowiadania. Rysunek z aukcji jest spory wymiarami, jego autentyczność nie budzi zastrzeżeń. Jak na dziś, nikt nie jest zainteresowany jego zakupem ($1 to cena wyjściowa). Władysław Benda był spokrewniony z Heleną Modrzejewską.
