No doubt the place to be on Wednesday, January 19, 1949 was in the auditorium of the Museum of Modern Art. There the first complete American performance of Façade took place, an "entertainment" with words by Dr. Edith Sitwell and music by William Walton. The performance was introduced by Sir Osbert Sitwell, Edith's brother. Two sketches of the Sitwells at the performance document the noteworthy evening. These sketches are currently listed on eBay with the jaw-dropping price of $2,000, a price justified only, it would seem, by the unsupportable assertion that they are from the hand of James Thurber.
Thurber was a world-class cartoonist, but he was not a caricaturist and he certainly was not one to be relied on to capture a likeness. These drawings do not resemble his work in the slightest; they try too hard and they clearly fall short. They lack his effortlessly-flowing lines and his irreproachable simplicity. They bear handwriting that is clearly not Thurber's, and they are, as one might guess, unsigned. In 1949 it is doubtful that Thurber's failing vision would allow him even to attempt any sort of live sketching at an event.
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Thurber was a world-class cartoonist, but he was not a caricaturist and he certainly was not one to be relied on to capture a likeness. These drawings do not resemble his work in the slightest; they try too hard and they clearly fall short. They lack his effortlessly-flowing lines and his irreproachable simplicity. They bear handwriting that is clearly not Thurber's, and they are, as one might guess, unsigned. In 1949 it is doubtful that Thurber's failing vision would allow him even to attempt any sort of live sketching at an event.
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| Osbert Sitwell and Edith Sitwell eBay Listing Retrieved January 10, 2019 |
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| Osbert Sitwell and Edith Sitwell eBay Item Descriptioin |
Façade: An Entertainment
Poems by Edith Sitwell
Music by William Walton
Edith Sitwell and Peter Pears, reciters
Anthony Collins conducting The English Opera Group Ensemble
British Decca recording, 1953
Orchestral Fanfare
Poem 3, Mariner Man ("What are you staring at, mariner man..."), recited by Sitwell;
Poem 6, Tango-Pasodoble ("When Don Pasquito arrived at the seaside..."), recited by Pears
Poem 7, Lullaby For Jumbo ("Jumbo asleep! Grey leaves thick-furred as his ears..."), recited by Sitwell
Poem 16, Valse ("Daisy and Lily, lazy and silly, walk by the shore..."), recited by Sitwell
Poem 21, Sir Beelzebub ("When Sir Beelzebub called for his syllabub in the hotel in Hell..."), recited by Pears
Note: If you are able to recognize the artist or the handwriting, do tell.
At press time the sketches remain available on eBay.
At press time the sketches remain available on eBay.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives: