52a: WILLIAM FRANKLIN DRAPER, MICHENER ILLUSTRATION

William Franklin Draper (1912 - 2003)
An untitled illustration study for Michener's (Circa 1940s)
Signed lower right.
Draper stated in a letter dated February 13, 1978, "Frankly, I consider it one of my best paintings and that's why I held on to it all these years. It was one of two paintings that I did as a Navy Combat Artist that I was able to keep..."
William Franklin Draper illustrated James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Tales of the South Pacific". This study resembles an illustration on page 146 of that collection of short stories originally published January 28, 1947.
The work measures 16 x 20 inches, frame 20 x 23 inches.
Very good original condition.
$1,500 - $2,000