November Day 2: Dwell in Beauty
Thu, Nov 17, 2022 11:00AM EST
Lot 335
Henry O'Connor "WWII Battle Scene" Watercolor
Estimate: $200 - $400
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $3,000 | $200 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $500,000 | $25,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $50,000 |
| $10,000,000 | $100,000 |
Henry "Henno" Michael O’Connor (American, 1891-1975). Ashcan school watercolor on artist's paper depicting a stirring WWII battle scene showing the horrors of war and the individual’s heroic reckoning with certain death and the ‘never-back-down’ mentality of American spirit, ca 1940s.
Lot Essay:
Henry Michael O’Connor was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on March 5, 1891. Early references allude to O’Connor’s skill as a boxer, a favorite sport and source of revenue for his education. He studied at the Massachusetts Normal Art School in Boston and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School under teachers such as Joseph Pennell, Joseph de Camp, and Frank Benson. O’Connor also assisted Abbot Thayer in Dublin, New Hampshire for two years who then encouraged the young artist to go abroad. In Europe, he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris and practiced etching at the Kensington School in London.
Early in his career, O’Connor seems to have been influenced by the Ashcan School of Realists in New York, although he remained active in Boston. The working people and sites of Salem Street in Boston’s North End was a favorite early subject of which he made mostly drawings. His fluid and precise linear quality is evident in several of the early drawings dating from 1914 to1919, which depict working class scenes from Charlestown, Gloucester, and Rockport in addition to Boston. Urban monuments and architecture became more frequent subjects in subsequent works. Some Boston landmarks depicted by O’Connor include Faneuil Hall, State Street, the Massachusetts State House, Harvard, Paul Revere’s House and Trinity Church.
Two lithographs dated 1918 provide the first evidence of O’Connor’s activity in New York, although the main body of his New York work begins in the 1920’s. Shortly after the First World War ended, O’Connor opened a studio in the city and soon met Regina Summer, a New York City designer, whom he married in 1924. Due to frequent visits, he was still listed as a Cambridge resident into the 1930’s while he lived and worked in New York City. One of his New York etchings, “Looking from New Jersey to New York†was similarly portrayed by Joseph Pennell and Martin Lewis. O’Connor is also known to have spent time working in Paris in the early 1920’s. Four Parisian etchings appeared at the National Academy of Design in New York City in the 1927 Annual Exhibition.
Much of O’Connor’s graphic work reflects his frequent travels. Some of his known trips include Gloucester (MA), Rockport (MA), Philadelphia, Chicago, Memphis, Indianapolis, Paris, London, Nuremberg, Dresden, Rotterdam, Venice, Florence, Siena, and several Canadian cities.
As shown in countless prints and drawings, O’Connor was also an avid marine enthusiast. He shared this interest with friend and author Jim Connolly and provided illustrations for two of his volumes, “The Book of Gloucester Fishermen†(New York: The John Day Company, 1927) and “Navy Men†(New York: The John Day Company, 1939). He also designed the cover for the November 1938 issue of ASIA, published by the American Asiatic Foundation. His affiliation with the naval community as a petty officer earned him a portrait painting commission for six naval officers in NACAL. A portrait of Admiral Charles Wellborn Jr. may be located at the United States Naval College in Norfolk, Virginia.
Other O’Connor sitters include Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Governor Charles Hurley, Dr. William O’Hanlon (reportedly located at the Margaret Hague Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey) the Honorable Joseph Tallent, and James Roosevelt. The Roosevelt picture was reported to be somewhere in Boston, Massachusetts, though it is not clear whether this refers to the James or Franklin D. Roosevelt portrait
Henry O’Connor died suddenly on February 25, 1975. Funeral services were held in Cambridge Massachusetts, and he may have been buried at the site of the Lakewood Cemetery Association.
Sight; height: 23 in x width: 17 1/2 in. Framed; height: 32 1/4 in x width: 26 1/4 in.
Please contact us for a detailed condition report. Please note that the lack of a condition statement does not imply perfect condition. Email condition@revereauctions.com with any condition questions.
Lot Essay:
Henry Michael O’Connor was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on March 5, 1891. Early references allude to O’Connor’s skill as a boxer, a favorite sport and source of revenue for his education. He studied at the Massachusetts Normal Art School in Boston and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School under teachers such as Joseph Pennell, Joseph de Camp, and Frank Benson. O’Connor also assisted Abbot Thayer in Dublin, New Hampshire for two years who then encouraged the young artist to go abroad. In Europe, he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris and practiced etching at the Kensington School in London.
Early in his career, O’Connor seems to have been influenced by the Ashcan School of Realists in New York, although he remained active in Boston. The working people and sites of Salem Street in Boston’s North End was a favorite early subject of which he made mostly drawings. His fluid and precise linear quality is evident in several of the early drawings dating from 1914 to1919, which depict working class scenes from Charlestown, Gloucester, and Rockport in addition to Boston. Urban monuments and architecture became more frequent subjects in subsequent works. Some Boston landmarks depicted by O’Connor include Faneuil Hall, State Street, the Massachusetts State House, Harvard, Paul Revere’s House and Trinity Church.
Two lithographs dated 1918 provide the first evidence of O’Connor’s activity in New York, although the main body of his New York work begins in the 1920’s. Shortly after the First World War ended, O’Connor opened a studio in the city and soon met Regina Summer, a New York City designer, whom he married in 1924. Due to frequent visits, he was still listed as a Cambridge resident into the 1930’s while he lived and worked in New York City. One of his New York etchings, “Looking from New Jersey to New York†was similarly portrayed by Joseph Pennell and Martin Lewis. O’Connor is also known to have spent time working in Paris in the early 1920’s. Four Parisian etchings appeared at the National Academy of Design in New York City in the 1927 Annual Exhibition.
Much of O’Connor’s graphic work reflects his frequent travels. Some of his known trips include Gloucester (MA), Rockport (MA), Philadelphia, Chicago, Memphis, Indianapolis, Paris, London, Nuremberg, Dresden, Rotterdam, Venice, Florence, Siena, and several Canadian cities.
As shown in countless prints and drawings, O’Connor was also an avid marine enthusiast. He shared this interest with friend and author Jim Connolly and provided illustrations for two of his volumes, “The Book of Gloucester Fishermen†(New York: The John Day Company, 1927) and “Navy Men†(New York: The John Day Company, 1939). He also designed the cover for the November 1938 issue of ASIA, published by the American Asiatic Foundation. His affiliation with the naval community as a petty officer earned him a portrait painting commission for six naval officers in NACAL. A portrait of Admiral Charles Wellborn Jr. may be located at the United States Naval College in Norfolk, Virginia.
Other O’Connor sitters include Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Governor Charles Hurley, Dr. William O’Hanlon (reportedly located at the Margaret Hague Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey) the Honorable Joseph Tallent, and James Roosevelt. The Roosevelt picture was reported to be somewhere in Boston, Massachusetts, though it is not clear whether this refers to the James or Franklin D. Roosevelt portrait
Henry O’Connor died suddenly on February 25, 1975. Funeral services were held in Cambridge Massachusetts, and he may have been buried at the site of the Lakewood Cemetery Association.
Sight; height: 23 in x width: 17 1/2 in. Framed; height: 32 1/4 in x width: 26 1/4 in.
Condition
Available payment options
Payment & Shipping
PAYMENT
Revere Auctions accepts wire transfers, checks (personal or business check in US dollars certified by a US bank, a cashier’s/banker’s check drawn on a US bank or US money order), cash (US currency not to exceed $10,000 in a single or multiple related payments). Visa, Discover, American Express or MasterCard may be used and are subject to a 3.0% convenience fee and are limited to purchases of $5,000.00 (total). Credit Card payments for jewelry and gold are NOT accepted. The purchaser’s obligation to pay immediately the full purchase price is absolute and unconditional and is not subject to any defenses, setoffs or counterclaims of any kind whatsoever. Revere Auctions is not obligated to release a lot to the purchaser until title to the lot has passed. The purchaser agrees to pay Revere Auctions handling charge of $30 for any check dishonored by the drawee.
SHIPPING
Revere Auctions does NOT offer in-house shipping. As a convenience to the Buyer, Revere Auctions will make a referral for packing and shipping. This is at the request, expense, and risk of the Buyer, and Revere Auctions assumes no responsibility for the items or the timing of delivery. Insurance for in transit items is the responsibility of the buyer. The buyer must reach out to a shipping company to arrange shipping.
The buyer must fill out and return the Shipping Release Form to info@revereauctions.com in order for their items to be released. This is to ensure that the won item(s) are given to the proper shipping company and reach their final destination safely. This form can be found here: https://www.revereauctions.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ShippingRelease_Fillable2022.pdf
Here is a list of our preferred shippers:
UPS Store #2105
Contact: Ryan Wilson
Email: store2105@theupsstore.com
Phone: 651-642-5972
UPS Store #2158
Contact: Randy
Email: store2158@theupsstore.com
phone: 651-635-0636
UPS Store #5396
Contact: Seth
Email: store5396@theupsstore.com
Phone: 612-332-4117
Museum Services Inc
For shipping estimate please complete the following link:
http://museumservices.org/revere
For our full list of shipping referrals and information please see our shipping information page with more details: https://www.revereauctions.com/shipping-information/
Powered By
