Ernest Howard Shepard cartoons draw in £2,500 bid at Shrewsbury auction
A collection of four original ink studies by illustrator Ernest Howard Shepard for Punch magazine cartoons sold for £2,500 at auction.
The studies, which related to the Second World War, went under the hammer at an auction of pictures at Halls' headquarters at Battlefield, Shrewsbury.
Shepard is best known for bringing to life Winnie the Pooh with his drawings, which he later regretted as he believed it completely overshadowed the rest of his work.
His main occupation, from 1921 to 1953, was as one of Punch magazine's leading political cartoonists.
James Forster, head of Halls' pictures department, said: "The EH Shepard cartoons sold in excess of my expectations and demonstrates that his stock continues to rise as an illustrator.
"There was a good momentum in the auction, with buyers coming specifically for the pictures they wanted. The auction showed that there is a market for sensibly priced pictures. The emphasis of this auction was good value, affordable pictures, many well framed and ready to go on the wall, by some good names."
A collection of large, framed and unframed watercolours by Sydney Vale, an artist from the Wapping Group, also attracted keen bidding from collectors, amounting to £2,575. They were the remaining works originally from his studio.
