Lincoln portrait - WW II - Season's Greetings

Item Details

Fritz Eichenberg, early 1940s

First edition, excellent condition.

Three original wood engravings by the celebrated German-American illustrator and printmaker Fritz Eichenberg (1901-1990), a master of wood engraving who is highly regarded for his powerful graphic style and dramatic use of light and shadow.

The first print is a deeply lined, expressive portrait of Abraham Lincoln emphasizing his somber and contemplative nature. The bottom right margin features Eichenberg's handwritten signature in pencil alongside the year 1943. This specific engraving was frequently utilized by the artist during this period and later, including as part of his 1984 Homage portfolio and for regional exhibition posters celebrating historical collections. The final page has a letterpress-printed Lincoln quote. 4 pp., folded. Condition is excellent, no tears or soiling, light toning, some mounting adhesive residue on the inner margin of p. 4. See images. 6 1/4 x 9 inches (folded).

The second print is "Babe in the Manger,” a traditional Nativity scene depicting the infant Jesus lying in a manger, in the company of a cow and a donkey inside a rustic stable, with a church and cross visible in the night background. The print is pencil-signed by Fritz Eichenberg in the bottom right, and inscribed in pencil to "Helmut and Letty" on the bottom left. Note: “Helmut” is Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt (1903 – 1992) a German-American author, academic, printing historian, and bibliography and rare books expert. After World War II, he worked with the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, commonly known as the Monuments Men. “Letty” is Letitia Grierson, whose marriage to Lehmann-Haupt ended by divorce in 1947. She was an educator and freelance editor. One of their sons was Christopher Lehmann-Haupt (1934-2018), an American journalist, editor of The New York Times Book Review, critic, and novelist. 4 pp., folded. Condition is excellent, no tears or soiling, light toning, some very light traces of mounting adhesive residue on the left margin of the print. See images. 6 3/16 x 8 1/2 inches (folded).

The third print is titled "War or Peace, 1940" featuring the text "SEASON'S GREETINGS AND GOOD LUCK FOR 1940" along the bottom of the image, pencil-signed by the artist. 4 pp., folded. Condition is excellent, no tears or soiling, light toning, only a thin strip of glassine tape along the top of p. 4. See images. 5 7/8 x 7 13/16 inches (folded).

Price includes USPS Priority postage to addresses in contiguous 48 states. Cost of postage to be added to the invoice for all others.