EXTRAORDINARY ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION BY GARTH WILLIAMS FOR THE FIRST EDITION OF LITTLE FUR FAMILY, FROM THE COLLECTION OF HIS HARPER’S EDITOR, THE LEGENDARY URSULA NORDSTROM

WILLIAMS, Garth. Original illustration for Little Fur Family by Garth Williams. No place, 1946. 12mo, original pencil illustration (3 by 4-1/2 inches). In original velvet shadowbox frame. $9500.

Original illustration for Little Fur Family by Garth Williams, of the “Little Fur Child” for the book’s endpapers, signed by him and dated the year of publication. From the collection of Ursula Nordstrom, his legendary editor at Harper's.

Margaret Wise Brown's most whimsically designed book, Little Fur Family, follows the adventures of a "little fur animal" as he explores his world. Its illustrator, Garth Williams, was working for The New Yorker in 1945 when he was chosen by his colleague, E.B. White, to illustrate Stuart Little. The result was so successful that Williams decided to focus on children's book illustration full-time, and worked closely with celebrated book editor Ursula Nordstrom, director of Harper's Department of Books for Boys and Girls. Nordstrom introduced Williams to Margaret Wise Brown to collaborate on Little Fur Family; Nordstrom subsequently called the duo "my favorite author and my favorite artist" (Marcus, 34). Williams and Brown would ultimately collaborate on 11 books. This original drawing by Williams is a preliminary pencil sketch of the endpaper illustrations for Little Fur Family. It features the "Little Fur Child" in profile wearing his hat, boots, and coat and thinking about how he is going to spend his day.

An exceptional, fine original illustration with the most distinguished provenance possible.