Lawrence Nelson Wilbur (1897 - 1988)
Painter and printmaker Lawrence Nelson Wilbur was born in Whitman, Massachusetts. He moved to Boston where he began his training as a photoengraver. He moved to Los Angeles in 1921, where he worked in the engraving department of the Los Angeles Times. Relocating to New York in 1925, Wilbur was employed as a finisher by several of New York’s finest engraving shops and by several of the leading magazines of the era.
Wilbur enrolled at the Grand Central Art School, where he studied under N. C. Wyeth and Harvey Dunn.a number of Lawrence Nelson Wilbur traveled to Boston and Los Angeles before settling in New York. In 1925, he enrolled in the Grand Central Art School where he studied under Harvey Dunn, N.C. Wyeth, and Pruett Carter. As a photo-engraving finisher, he worked for the finest engraving shops in New York, and a number of major magazine publishers headquartered there. The combination of his graphic arts skills and his serious pursuit of training in the fine arts formed the basis for his career as a talented draftsman, printmaker, and painter.
His works have been collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the National Gallery of Art and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and many other institutions. Wilbur received numerous awards for his art, including the Audubon Artist’s medal of honor for a self-portrait in oil in 1957. He was a member of the Salmagundi Club of New York, the Painters and Sculptors Society of New Jersey, and Society of America Graphic Artists. He died in New York City.
Along the Docks - New York
Etching and aquatint, 1985; edition of 50. Image size 13¾” x 10”; sheet size 18-5/8” x 15”. Numbered 6/50, titled, and signed in pencil by Wilbur. Annotated “fourth and final strate - from a 1936 watercolor by the artist.” and the instruction “OK Follow this proof”, signed by Wilbur. A beautifully inked impression in near-fine condition.
$550
View of Gloucester Harbor
Etching and aquatint, 1985; edition of 55. Image size 9-15/16” x 8”; sheet size 12½” x 10-5/8”. Signed in the plate and signed “Lawrence Nelson Wilbur SAE” in pencil in the lower margin. Annotated “National Academy print exhibition” in pencil at the bottom of the sheet. A fine, richly inked impression. Minor soiling in the margin and adhesive remnants at the upper corners of the sheet.
$425
Ship Building, Gloucester
Etching,m 1943; edition of 30. Image size 11” x 7-5/8”; sheet size 12-13/16” x 9-5/8”. Signed and dated in the plate and signed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin. A rich impression with minor soiling in the margins, in overall near fine condition.
$425
Ebb Tide, Gloucester, Massachusetts
Etching on Fabriano Rosapina mould-made paper, 1942; edition not stated. Image size 16-5/8” x 9”; sheet size 19¼” x 12”. Signed and dated in the plate, and signed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin. A fine impression in near-fine overall condition. Moderate soiling in the upper margin and three diagonal pressure printing creases in the upper portion of the plate.
$575
Gloucester Harbor
Etching on laid paper, 1942; edition not stated. Image size 3” x 2-7/16”; sheet size 4-3/8” x 4”. Signed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin. An excellent impression with moderate toning within the perimeter of the mat opening.
SOLD
Along The Docks - New York
Etching and aquatint, 1985; edition of 50. Image size 13¾” x 10”; sheet size 18-5/8” x 15”. Numbered 6/50, titled, and signed in pencil by Wilbur. Annotated “fourth and final strate - from a 1936 watercolor by the artist.” and the instruction “OK Follow this proof”, signed by Wilbur. A beautifully inked impression in near-fine condition.
$550
The Spire - New York
Etching, 1985; edition of 100. Image size 11-1/8” x 14-7/8”; sheet size 18-3/16” x 22-5/8”. Titled, numbered, and signed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin. Fine.
$725
Under the Bridge
Etching, 1988; edition of 27. Image size 12¼” x 9-9/16”; sheet size 16¼” x 14-5/8”. Titled, numbered 3/27, estate signed “Lawrence Nelson Wilbur (SW)”, and dated 1988 in pencil. Overall fine condition.
$475
Under the Bridge
Etching, 1988; edition of 27. Image size 12¼” x 9-9/16”; sheet size 22-1/8” x 19¼”. Titled, numbered 22/27. Estate signed “Lawrence Nelson Wilbur (SW)”, and dated 1988 in pencil. Overall fine condition.
$700