Illustrations of the Sargent Exhibition, Royal Academy, 1926, BOUND TOGETHER WITH: Catalogue of the Works of the Late John S. Sargent, R.A. (Katharine and Louise Loring Association Copy)

London: William Judd Ltd.; William Cloues & Son, 1926 The totality is Finely Bound within a hard cover case of three quarter red morocco, ruled in gilt, with marbled paper boards, matching end papers, t.e.g., the spine with raised bands ruled in black and gilt, with both titles and gilt floral sprigs to the six compartments. Collation: [4], 120, [2], 96 [4]. The first title: 8vo, 120 pp., including original printed gilt on blue card wraps, with many full-page black and white reproductions of Sargent's portraiture, some watercolors as well as designs for murals at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. The second title: Soft cover, 16mo, 96 pp. with original gray paper wraps included. Condition: Very Good Plus. There is some moderate rubbing to the exterior joints and edges. Gilt decoration on the spine and boards remains bright and attractive. Interior is clean, tight and bright. Also included are the interesting association items. First, a "With Compliments" card laid in is signed in ink by Perry T. Rathbone, "Trustees of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston." (Rathbone was Director of the MFA from 1955-1972, and his 1948 portrait by the German Expressionist Max Beckmann remains there on view.) Additionally, half of a handwritten letter with a London address, dated 11 Jan. 1926, is tipped in, concerning the unknown writer's visit to the 1926 Royal Academy Exhibition. It alludes to having several works by Sargent hanging in the show. However, the the signature page is missing, so the writer remains an unsolved mystery: perhaps an eager eye can spot likely candidates among the Sargent portraits in the catalogue…? However, we have traced the letter recipient(s) as the Boston-area spinster sisters of note, Louisa and Katharine (often misspelled) Loring of Beverly, Massachusetts. The sisters were friends of, and painted by, John Singer Sargent in 1917 at the garden at their home, "Burnside," and this letter mentions that very garden. [An image of this now-destroyed, signed and labeled watercolor can be seen in Jean Strause's ebook "Alice James: A Biography," New York Review of Books, 2011.] Other books we have acquired simultaneously have helped make this connection. Artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), leading Gilded Age portraitist both in America and in England, was born in Italy to Boston-area American expats. Their ability to travel extensively allowed the artist first-hand exposure to great art. Settling latterly in London, Sargent's career thrived in a frothy market for society portraiture. Upon his death in 1925, retrospective exhibits such as these closely followed on both sides of the Atlantic. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has the largest collection of his works, an archive of his correspondence, and had early (1888) and repeated exhibitions of his works. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good Plus . Illus. by John Singer Sargent.