A large oil on illustration board painting by E.F. Ward commissioned for an interior story titled “Drumheads and Dairy Maids” by Helen Topping Miller for the November 1918 edition of a Woman’s Home Companion. Work is beautifully displayed in an oval matted, wide profile period antique frame behind glass, and a complete edition of the magazine this appeared in is included in the sale.

A bio on E.F. Ward from American Art Archives :

Edmund Franklin Ward lived and worked primarily in White Plains New York. A friend of Norman Rockwell at the Art Students’ League, the duo set-up a studio together. Early oils were as authoritative and dramatic as any of the more established artists. He could capture intimate, delicate scenes as well as large, action-filled dramas, and even comedy with a sure touch. Among the slicks that hired his services: Youth’s Companion, Liberty, Ladies’ Home Journal, Redbook., Pictorial Review, McCall’s, Country Home, Country Gentleman, Saturday Evening Post, Woman’s Home Companion, American, Collier’s. Historical book illustration, ad work, murals (e. g. White Plains Public Library), and government commissions during both World Wars rounded out his career. He continued to paint long after he left the illustration field.

Above: Verso label from Woman’s Home Companion