Peggy Bacon (1895-1987), Heywood Broun, lithograph, 1930, signed lower right and titled lower left margin. Reference: Flint 92. In excellent condition (no trace of ever having been matted or framed), the full sheet with deckle edges, on a heavy cream wove paper watermarked BKF RIVES FRANCE. 11 x 15 3/8, the sheet 14 7/8 x 19 inches, archival mounting (unattached mylar hinging between acid free board, glassine cover).
A fine fresh impression, in pristine condition.
By the late 1930 Peggy Bacon, now in her mid-thirties, was one of America’s most loved and honored printmakers. She had many solo shows, and was a regular participant in the American Printmakers annual exhibition at the Downtown Gallery.
Bacon began making lithographs in 1928, and Heywood Broun is one of earliest, and most successful portraits in the medium. It is regularly featured in portrait shows at the Library of Congress, and is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Boston Museum of Fine Art, etc.
Heywood Broun was a famous crusading journalist and reformer of the 1920’s and 30’s. He was famed for his support of civil rights, free speech, ordinary people, and the underdog. Some of his quotes: “When a man has a conviction, great or small, about eggs or eternity, he must wear it always in plain sight, pulled down tight upon his forehead; I see no wisdom in saving up punches for a rainy day.” Another: “Posterity is as likely to be wrong as anybody else.” In his honor the Newspaper Guild gives an annual Heywood Broun award.
