Shepard (Ernest Howard)

'Prayers'

original pen, ink, pencil and watercolour drawing, initialed by the artist in red pencil at lower right-hand corner, image marked in pencil out for possible use in a book/article, approx. 200 x 160mm.,

also with 'Please return to E.H.Shepard Shamley Green Guildford' in pencil in Shepard's hand to reverse of the image, framed and glazed with gallery label to back of frame, n.d. [1924]

***Provenance - Sally Hunter Fine Art. No. 200 in the Exhibition EH Shepard December 1991. Provenance: The Estate of the Artist. Purchased by Anne Mansfield, December 1991. 11 Halkin Arcade. London.SW1X 8JT.

We cannot find where this image might have been used, but it bears a strong resemblance to the image finally used for the poem by A.A. Milne: 'Vespers'. We can only assume, this might have been an alternative done by Shepard at the time. This image undoubtedly shows the same scene of the young 'Christopher Robin Milne kneeling by his bed at prayer, but with a very good likeness of A.A.Milne sitting beside him with pipe in hand.