{"product_id":"15268-walton-william-sitwell-osbert-sitwell-edith-facade-caricature-sketches-and-original-flyer","title":"[Walton, William. (1902–1983)] [Sitwell, Osbert. (1892–1969) \u0026 Sitwell, Edith. (1887–1964)] \"Façade\" - Caricature Sketches and Original Flyer","description":"\u003cdiv\u003eTwo amusing caricature sketches of the brother and sister writers Edith and Osbert Sitwell, apatently accomplished at the first complete American performance of Edith Sitwell and William Walton's entertainment \u003ci\u003eFaçade. \u003c\/i\u003eEdith Sitwell is shown at a podium, draped in an ornate cape and she reads her poetry; Osbert Sitwell, who introduced the performance, is drawn reading from a paper through his large spectacles. \"Facade\" penned at the upper left corner and dated at the foot: January 1949, Museum of Modern Art. On letterhead of the Plaza Hotel. Together with an original flyer for the performance. Areas of heavy toning to the edges; otherwise very good. Drawings 11.5 x 7.5 inches (29.2 x 19.1 cm); flyer 8.75 x 12 inches (22.3 x 30.7 cm).\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eFaçade\u003c\/i\u003e is a series of poems by Edith Sitwell, best known as part of \u003ci\u003eFaçade – An Entertainment\u003c\/i\u003e, in which the poems are recited over an instrumental accompaniment by William Walton. The poems and the music exist in several versions. Sitwell began to publish some of the Façade poems in 1918, in the literary magazine \u003ci\u003eWheels\u003c\/i\u003e. In 1922 many of them were given an orchestral accompaniment by Walton, Sitwell's protégé. The \"entertainment\" was first performed in public in 1923, and achieved both fame and notoriety for its unconventional form.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe work was once attributed to James Thurber, American cartoonist and writer of numerous books, short stories, and essays who was managing editor of the New Yorker (1927-33). Unsigned and indeed dating from a period in which Thurber would have been already suffering from loss of vision, the present work was nevertheless acquired by our consignor approximately 40 years ago from a colleague of Thurber's at the New Yorker, along with many others clearly signed by him. It seems unlikely the work is in the hand of Thurber but as it was sold as such in a collection of Thurber works we include this provenance. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Schubertiade Music and Arts","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46093578993823,"sku":"15268","price":400.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/4826\/7423\/files\/Thurber_Sitwell_Facade_15268_001.jpg?v=1722188960","url":"https:\/\/www.schubertiademusic.com\/products\/15268-walton-william-sitwell-osbert-sitwell-edith-facade-caricature-sketches-and-original-flyer","provider":"Schubertiade Music and Arts","version":"1.0","type":"link"}