Original illustration by Bob Dacey from You’ll Never Know, Dear

This beautifully rendered watercolor is by illustrator Bob Dacey. It is a dreamlike portrait with rich, brown tones and soft brush strokes. It features two young men at a carnival game with a wheel spinning in a blur in front of them as it takes their money but offers up no prize.

Dacey was commissioned to create this piece to illustrate the short story titled, “You’ll Never Know, Dear” by author John Updike. It was printed in the 1981 The Franklin Library publication of “Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories” which featured a collection of short stories by the author.

The Franklin Library’s Original Illustration Commissions

From its founding in 1973 until its closing in 2000 The Franklin Library produced public domain classic books as well as some limited first editions, releasing them in subscription series such as The Collected Stories of the World’s Greatest Writers. Often released in parallel series including leather bound and a non-leather bound (leatherette), the books were handsomely bound and included numerous original illustrations from contemporary artists.