Wharton Esherick hand carved the scene printed on this woodcut in in 1927. It depicts Esherick's close friend, writer Theodore Dreiser, at work in his New York studio. On September 9, 1927, Esherick wrote to Dreiser, "It delights me to hear how you feel about the woodcut “Of a Great City”—I had intended to send the print to a magazine but not until you, the subject, saw it. I am sending it to Vanity Fair." Esherick printed each woodcut himself in 1927 and 1928, printing fewer than 20 in total.
A key proponent of the American Studio Craft movement, Esherick (1887-1970) was an American sculptor and woodworker who's known especially for his intricately crafted, highly sculptural furniture designs.
Wharton Esherick
1927
Work on paper
Image: 6.25" x 10" Sheet: 7.5" × 11.5"
Historic
United States
Philadelphia
$4,800
Mindy Solomon Gallery
R & Company
Jason Jacques Gallery
Wexler Gallery
Isaac Scott
