Lot 171: Alfred Hutty Etching, On a Carolina Road, 1932

Alfred Heber Hutty (Charleston, South Carolina, 1877-1954) etching and drypoint titled “On a Carolina Road”, second state (1932), artist’s proof. Signed “Alfred Hutty” in pencil along with snail cypher, lower right. Titled lower left, under mat. Also with old inventory number in pencil to lower right margin. Housed in a window mat. Original gallery label preserved en verso. Sheet: 9 3/16 in. H x 11 5/16 in. W. Sight: 7 7/16 in. H x 9 3/8 in. W. Mat: 13 in. H x 19 5/8 in. W. Rare. Listed as #128 and illustrated p. 146 in The Life and Art of Alfred Hutty; Woodstock to Charleston, edited by Sara C. Arnold and Stephen G. Hoffius, with Catalog of Known prints by Edith Howle, The University of South Carolina Press, 2012. An example of this print is in the collection of the Gibbes Museum of Art / Carolina Art Association. Biographical Note: “One of the principal artists of the Charleston Renaissance, Alfred Heber Hutty was a native of Grand Haven, Michigan. He spent most of his youth in Kansas City, He was employed as a glazier and that led to his pursuit of stained-glass design, initially in Kansas City, later in St. Louis, and finally In New York City, where he was employed by the Tiffany Studios. He studied with Birge Harrison at the Art Students League and at the nascent art colony in Woodstock, New York, where he was among the first artists to settle full time…He began dividing his time seasonally between homes and studios in Woodstock and Charleston and soon became a fixture in Charleston’s art circles. From 1920 to 1924 he was the director of the Carolina Art Association (now the Gibbes Museum of Art), and in 1921 he was a founding member of the Charleston Etchers’ Club. His principal subject, the local scene, naturally led to an interest in historic preservation. The Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings, among other groups, provided opportunities for artists–among them, Hutty, Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, and Elizabeth O’Neill Verner–to create work that was deeply rooted in Charleston’s past.” (Source: Morris Museum of Art, “Alfred Hutty: Painter, Printmaker, Preservationist”)

PROVENANCE:

Private Southern Collection, ex-Doll and Richards Inc., Boston.

CONDITION:

Overall very good condition. A richly-inked impression with strong contrasts and traces of burr, especially to man’s moustache and to haunches and front left hoof of cow. With even toning to sight area. Margins with inky fingerprints to margins, likely an inherent artifact of the printing process. Hinge-mounted with tape affixed to upper edge en verso. Mat with toning and minor staining.