Orson Byron Lowell (American, 1871-1956) It's Better to Volunteer Now...Than to Wait for Conscription

Description:

Orson Byron Lowell (American, 1871-1956)

It's Better to Volunteer Now...Than to Wait for Conscription.The Proposal and The Wedding, both signed "Orson Lowell" l.l. and l.r. respectively, with one signature and inscriptions likely hidden beneath the mats. Pen and ink on paper/board, sight sizes to 21 1/2 x 21 3/4 in., in separate frames. Condition: Proposal with small loss to l.r. corner, not examined out of frames.

Provenance: The collection of Frederic and Jean Sharf, Massachusetts and Florida.

N.B. When American entered World War I, Charles Dana Gibson was asked to recruit artists to design illustrations suitable for propaganda posters. Lowell created this humorous, double-page spread to satirize the choices men faced at the time. Marriage became one way to try to avoid serving in the war: proposing to the girl of your dreams or, if that did not work out, marrying for convenience. The metaphor translated equally well to entering the Armed Services. The caption beneath the images read, "It is better to volunteer now and choose which branch of the service you will enter...Than to wait for conscription."
Estimate $400-600


Items may have wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

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