November 20th - 22nd, 1999 Auction
Lela Margaret Briggs: 12 works (scroll down to view all.)
Lela Briggs was an extremely accomplished water colorist who captured the rural experience with her colorful pallet and sensitive eye. She studied for a period at the Chicago Art Institute and summers at the University of Iowa, but was probably most influenced by her experience at Grant Wood's Stone City Art Colony (1931-1933). Her subjects were her surroundings; a neighbor's farm, a small country store, or her own barnyard. Her first major exhibition was the 1934 Iowa Art Salon where she received third prize for a watercolor work. From that time forward Briggs enjoyed numerous awards at the various exhibitions she entered. In 1942 she held her first of four "one woman" shows which produced an avid following. A farm wife/mother, raising two children in rural depression ridden America followed by war left little opportunity for Briggs to accept invitations to larger exhibitions outside Iowa. Her career was cut short with her sudden death at the age of 57 in 1953. While her works occasionally come up for auction, the bulk of her paintings (over 500) were donated to various museums upon the death of her husband Wilbur in 1988.
(Click on the images to enlarge.)
Lot 105
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"Spring Thaw"
watercolor on paper,
signed and dated 1945 lower right
19.5" x 24.25" (unframed)
Estimate...............$300-$500
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
Lot 106
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"Spring Pasture"
watercolor on paper,
signed lower right
15.5" x 23" (unframed)
Estimate...............$200-$300
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
Lot 107
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"Spring Flood"
watercolor on paper,
signed verso
20" x 25.5" (unframed)
Estimate...............$200-$300
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
Lot 108
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"The Russel Lampson House"
watercolor on paper,
signed lower left
20" x 26" (unframed)
Estimate...............$200-$300
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
Lot 109
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"Fall Harvest"
watercolor on paper,
signed and dated 1952 lower left
20.5" x 24.5" (unframed)
Estimate...............$300-$500
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
Lot
110
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"Cedar River"
watercolor on paper,
signed and dated lower left '47
14.5" x 23" (unframed)
Estimate...............$200-$300
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
Lot
111
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"Feeding Time"
watercolor on paper,
signed lower left
15.5" x 22.75" (unframed)
Estimate...............$300-$500
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
Lot 112
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"Summer Farmscape"
watercolor on paper,
signed lower right
21" x 25" (unframed)
Estimate...............$200-$300
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
Lot 116
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"The Little Brown Church"
watercolor on paper,
signed lower left
16" x 21.5" (unframed)
Estimate...............$300-$500
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
The Little Brown Church is a famous tourist attraction located near Nashua, Iowa and made famous by the hymn written by Dr. William Pitts in 1857.
Lot 114
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"Red Wagon"
watercolor on paper,
signed and dated lower right
19" x 24" (unframed)
Estimate...............$300-$500
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
Lot 115
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"Farmyard"
watercolor on paper,
signed and dated 1951 lower right
19" x 24" (unframed)
Estimate...............$200-$300
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
Lot 113
Lela Margaret Briggs (American 1896-1951)
"Off to Hunt"
watercolor on paper,
signed and dated 1944 lower right
20" x 26" (unframed)
Estimate...............$300-$400
Provenance: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Sold to benefit the "Lela Briggs Preservation Project."
