Summary: Offered is a vintage original children’s illustration executed by listed and collected British Children’s author and illustrator Hilda Boswell (1903-1976), circa 1935-1965. Depicted is a Cinderella figural group: a Fairy God-Mother stands holding a wand in her left hand over the head of a young Cinderella sitting on a stool with a spool of yarn in her left hand, her head resting in her right hand, her right arm supported by her right knee. Behind the God-Mother a young girl and boy stand facing Cinderella on the left, a young boy stands behind on the right, and a black and white cat looks out at the viewer in the foreground. The background is a uniform and eye-catching field of bright yellow-green.
The pencil under-drawing is lightly visible and every bit intended as part of the finished output. It creates a depth, and silvery sparkle, under, and over, the bright layers of gouache heightened with body-colour that illuminate the finished image. The forms and features are then further defined in black ink completing the illustration.
Boswell is known to frequently include little children in her illustrations to increase the personal connection of her intended audience with the content. She said, “A child’s mind must be stimulated and through the right illustrations this can be achieved. They want deftness and richness, something they can enlarge upon in their own imagination. When I work I forget that I am adult and let my memory go back to my childhood and I put all the thoughts and feelings which I had then into my drawings. I feel that you cannot hope to create an illustration to be appreciated by children if it is produced by an adult-thinking person at the time. You must be the thing you are illustrating, put yourself in the shoes and socks of the character you are creating and try to think like the prince and princess if these are the subjects you are working.”
Dimensions (sight): 5 5/8” high x 4 7/8” wide
Dimensions (framed): 10” high x 8 5/8” wide
Markings: signed in ink lower left, between Cinderella’s feet, with “H.B” monogram; inscribed in similar ink verso , upper central area, “with my good wishes / & love / Hilda”; inscribed in pencil verso, upper left “7855 / 8 x 9 ¼” (this number and dimension corresponds to the number on the Eaton’s framing label and outer matte dimensions).
Condition: A period illustration, likely executed during the first half of the 20th Century, it is offered in excellent original condition. The colours are vibrant with no sign of fading or damage of any kind. Ready for display it will make a fine addition to any discerning collection / interior.
Framing: Housed in likely the original off-white cream painted wood frame with inner chamfered border, glazed behind glass and the picture is double matted in two tones of off-white. Framed by Eaton’s, a label is found on the reverse with corresponding number and dimensions inscribed on illustration verso. The illustration is affixed on all sides to the inner layer of the double matte. The matte is acidic and has started to discolor, the top matte more-so than the inner. The discoloration does not appear to extend into the picture. The original acidic corrugated cardboard backing, with no markings or inscriptions, has been removed and replaced with a fresh piece of white museum quality 100% rag acid-free buffered matte-board. The Eaton’s framing label has been carefully snipped from the craft-paper backing, placed inside a protective bag and reaffixed to the back of the new conservation matte-backing to preserve the provenance. Photographs of the original label on the original backing have been taken and placed in the digital file as evidence. It may be possible to go the extra step and carefully remove the illustration from the original matte and then replace the front matte following conservation grade framing procedure. This has not been undertaken as a full assessment of the method of paste and removal has not been accomplished; it is recommended that any action only be taken if it is certain the illustration will not be put in harm’s way.
