GERTRUDE HERMES (BRITISH 1901-1983) §
NINE CHRISTMAS CARDS
Estimate: £400 - £600
Auction: 25 June 2025 from 10:00 BST
Description
Five hand-printed cards with handwritten personal inscriptions from the artist;
Two Gertrude Hermes wood engravings sent as cards by Dick & Naomi Mitchison, and Herbert & Isobel Marks;
One hand-printed postcard, addressed to William McCance's Reading address, handwritten by the artist;
One hand-printed card, signed within the design (9)
Dimensions
the largest sheet 26.5cm x 21cm (10.25in x 8.25in)
Provenance
From the Estate of William McCance.
Footnote
The Art Edit presents paintings, drawings and prints by William McCance (1894–1970) and his circle.
In 1930 McCance became second Controller of the Gregynog Press, a significant private press in Montgomeryshire, Wales. The Press flourished under his stewardship, and he oversaw the production of several exquisite limited edition publications.
Gregynog was unique at the time in that publications were printed, typset, illustrated and bound under one roof. McCance and Miller Parker contributed designs and engravings, as did the artists Gertrude Hermes (1901–1983) and Blair Hughes Stanton (1902-1981), who was also employed at the Press in a directorial capacity. However, owing to fraught relations with the owners of the Press, McCance resigned after three years.