NEW YORK CITY — With both arms raised high in the air, Swann Galleries December 14 illustration art auction sent off 2017 with an original Madeline illustration titled “And here we’re back — all twelve no less — Happy New Year and Togetherness!,” which saw all the girls and Miss Clavel in a celebratory end-of-year dinner sell for $75,000, including the buyer’s premium.

By Madeline’s creator Ludwig Bemelmans, the watercolor and ink on paper was the back cover for Madeline’s Christmas, a supplement to the McCall’s 1956 Christmas issue. The work had been exhibited at both the Brandywine River Museum and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

Another standout was a vibrant set design study by William Oden Waller for the 1920s two-act Broadway musical comedy Manhattan Mary, which soared over a $4/6,000 estimate to be the top lot in the sale at $77,500. The gouache over graphite on board illustration featured a jazz band before a stunning Art Deco scene of flowing oranges and yellows.

Watch for a full report in a future issue.