Jack Davis Original Art: The Caddy (1957)

JACK DAVIS. "The Caddy" (circa 1957).

This front & side view of a goofy golf caddy suggests slimmed-down versions of Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum. We believe this pen and brush watercolor and ink illustration was intended for the Sports Illustrated parody within Trump magazine #2. But the image was never published. Why the caddy's shoelace is untied and flies are buzzing around his head remains a mystery. But it's a very nice illustration and a quite rare color piece from Davis's prime.

Provenance: It is from the estate of Harvey Kurtzman and will come with a letter of authenticity upon request.

Size/condition/price: The artwork is on a heavy bristol board measuring 6 3/8" wide x 8 3/4" high. Davis's heavy preliminary penciling is evident underneath the inking and watercolor, suggesting that this was a preliminary never intended for publication. It may also mean it was rejected by Kurtzman before Davis had a chance to erase the extraneous penciling. There are residual pencil marks and rubbings around the caddy, plus a penciled arrow and the word "slop" pointing to the hair of the figure on right. $1,100.