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THOMAS HART BENTON.
“Reprieve.” Pen and ink drawing on The
Plaza hotel stationery, depicting Leonard
Lyons as an angel presenting a receipt to
Benton while Uncle Sam shackles his leg
with a ball and chain. 165x133 mm;
6
1
/
2
x5
1
/
4
inches, recto, folded 8vo sheet,
mounted to board along top half inch,
two short clean tears at top, chip to lower
outer corner, and glue residue on verso of
stationery and board. Signed by Benton in
ink, lower right; full manuscript title and
inscription reads:“`Reprieve’”Latest Benton
Work. Made, dedicated, and here presented
to Leonard Lyons by Thomas H. Benton,
May 24-`64.” NewYork City, 1964.
[400/600]
171
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CHARLES ADDAMS.
“Beverly Hills Hotel” Pencil on paper. 230x203 mm; 9x8 inches, sheet. Inscribed “For
Muriel [Siebert]/ with love / Chas Addams” in pencil, lower right. Unpublished cartoon.
Tipped to archival matte along top edge verso and framed. Nd.
[2,500/3,500]
Inscribed to Muriel Siebert, the first woman to receive a seat on the NewYork Stock Exchange and a
good friend of Addams (both in Manhattan and Southampton). He carried her telephone number in
all of his personal vest pocket directories and he saw her often socially.The child in the cartoon is a
clear precursor to the character who became Pugsley Addams and seems to depict a less than pleasant
stay at the famous hotel. Like most of his preliminary drawings, it appears in its rough state but does
not seem to have made it to a published form.
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