From The Wind in the Willows
E.H. Shepard, 1931
SHEPARD, Ernest Howard (1879-1976). "Mole at Home." [c.1931.]

An original drawing from Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows, signed "EHS." Additionally captioned on verso in Shepard's hand: "Original drawing for 'Wind in the Willows' by Ernest H. Shepard." Wind in the Willows was first published in 1908 with only a frontispiece for illustration. Shepard, well-known for his illustrations of A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh books, was asked to illustrate a new edition in 1931 following Milne's stage adaptation, Toad of Toad Hall. In 1930, Shepard visited Grahame at his house in Pangbourne to make sketches, and at their first meeting Grahame said to him, "I love these little people, be kind to them." Shepard's beloved illustrations of the anthropomorphized Mole, Rat, Toad, and Badger render this the most popular version of the book even today. A letter on the verso of the frame explains that an agent for Sessler Rare Books "bought [the drawing] directly from Milne," but annotations to the letter suggest that the dealer was perhaps conflating the Pooh collaborators and meant it was purchased from Shepard.

Ink and pencil, 155 x 113mm, on cardstock, 230 x 147mm (a couple very small white-out corrections). Matted and framed. Provenance: Charles Sessler Rare Books, Philadelphia (letter).