Collections record Beta
Collection Record Detail
Object Name
Ink Drawing - Dear Rufus
Object Number
1973-19-14
Description
Ink drawing of a man driving a car along a road, with a minimalist landscape to the right. The man is wearing a hat and has his head turned toward the rear. Outlines rendered in ink with ink wash or watercolor fill, in three colors. Written in marker at top-left, "dear Rufus" and at bottom-right, "Leslie and I are/deeply indebted/to you for that/complete ride home./And the fine stories!/Bob Osborn." Dated in ink, "3-19-63."
Comment
After graduating from Yale, Robert Osborn studied painting in Rome and Paris before returning to Connecticut to teach art and philosophy at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville. He developed his distinct illustration style while drawing Navy training manuals during World War II, most of which featured a character named Dilbert whose blunders illustrated improper safety procedures. After the war, Osborn’s satirical cartoons appeared regularly in magazines such as The New Republic, Life, and Esquire. He also wrote and illustrated books on topics ranging from fishing and hunting to war and social issues. Between 1947 and 1994, illustrator Robert Chesley Osborn lived with his wife in Salisbury, Connecticut. Among his close friends were Rufus and Leslie Stillman of Litchfield.
Category
Date Made
March 19, 1963
Dimensions
15 1/2" long x 14 1/4" wide
Materials
Social Tags (experimental)
