Art Deco Original Watercolor Costume Sketch by Mabel E. Johnston (one of six)

Fine Art : Paintings

 

Submitted for your consideration is a dazzling watercolor of a costume sketch by Mabel E. Johnston from the 1920’s. Mabel Johnson studied art in Philadelphia and in New York and she was considered to be one of the top costume designers of the Broadway Stage during the roaring twenties. Her work was seen in the Ziegfield Follies, Earl Carroll’s Vanities of 1928, Animal Crackers, Cross My Heart, and Hold Everything. We were fortunate to acquire six of her original costume designs from the Park Avenue apartment of an editor of a major fashion magazine and her Broadway composer husband and this is one drawing from that suite.

Please take note of the exquisite features of this magnificent work. She is a gorgeous brunette, her hair cut in the fashion of the day. Her light blue eye shadow, her long eyelashes and her deeply painted red lips compose a vision of loveliness. The costume that adorns her shapely figure is quite impressive. It consists of a long tapered gold dress decorated with bright orange and white flowers with brown accents. The dress is embellished by an orange sash that forms a cape-like appearance about her shoulders, crisscrosses her bosom and cinches around her waist before falling into two parallel lines in the front of the costume. Who knows what talented actress finally donned this exceptional garment?

Please recognize that this is not a print. It is a one of a kind pencil sketch that the designer has then water colored as a final step before creating the costume. If you look closely you can see the pencil strokes that formed the initial draft. The piece is signed in the bottom corner of the drawing with the flourish of an artist palette that was a characteristic emblem of this designer. Given its age, and the fact that this was a working drawing used to help seamstresses sew together the dress, this work of art is in remarkably good shape. It is encased in a custom rich burled walnut wood frame with black lacquered edges and double matted with a black external and brick red internal matte. The frame shows some slight signs of wear, but this does not detract from the gestalt of the work and it actually enhances the vision of a beautiful vintage piece. The framed work measures 21.5" x 17.5". We have included in our photos an article published in the September 1929 issue of Dance magazine that extols the talents of Ms. Johnston.

All six of the works that we are offering decorated one large wall in the luxurious Manhattan apartment that was their home, but while they would make for a stunning wall grouping, each one can certainly stand on its own as a striking work of art.

Item ID: RL-5061