Mrs Tabby called out at two o’clock in the morning - ‘It’s time we started to go home. Come along, kittens!
London: , 1950. Item #06948
“It’s Time We Started to Go Home. Come Along, Kittens!”
A Delightful Original Watercolor by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone
JOHNSTONE, Janet Grahame (1928–1979) and Anne Grahame (1928–1998), illustrators.
“Mrs Tabby called out at two o’clock in the morning - ‘It’s time we started to go home. Come along, kittens!’” [London, ca. 1950–1970].
Original pen, ink and watercolor drawing on paper.
Image size: 3 1/2 x 6 5/8 inches; 89 x 168 mm. Mounted, matted, framed and glazed. Frame size: 13 x 17 inches; 330 x 432 mm.
A delightful and wonderfully atmospheric original children's book illustration by the celebrated twin sisters Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone, depicting Mrs Tabby gathering her kittens together for the journey home at two o'clock in the morning.
Against a brilliant deep-blue night sky scattered with tiny golden stars, a procession of cats makes its way beneath overhanging branches. Dominating the composition is the magnificent striped Mrs Tabby, carrying a sleepy kitten securely in her mouth, while the other cats follow behind. One of the procession carries a prettily decorated pink chair, adding a particularly whimsical touch to the scene.
The unusually elongated horizontal format is beautifully suited to the little nocturnal procession. The sisters' characteristic combination of precise pen work, rich decorative color and affectionate characterization is particularly evident in the wonderfully individualized cats, each possessing its own expression and personality.
The drawing illustrates the accompanying line: “Mrs Tabby called out at two o’clock in the morning - ‘It’s time we started to go home. Come along, kittens!’”
The precise publication for which the drawing was executed has not presently been identified.
Janet Grahame Johnstone and Anne Grahame Johnstone, identical twin sisters, were among the most successful British children's illustrators of the post-war period. Working collaboratively for many years, they illustrated scores of children's books and became especially celebrated for their fairy-tale subjects, elaborate costumes and extraordinarily appealing depictions of animals. Among their best-known achievements were the original illustrations for Dodie Smith's The Hundred and One Dalmatians.
The Johnstones possessed a particular gift for investing animals with individual character while retaining an acute sense of observation. The present watercolor is a charming example: the cats form an almost theatrical procession across the picture, while the intensely colored starry sky transforms their late-night journey home into a miniature fairy-tale adventure.
A particularly charming and highly decorative original watercolor by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone, with an exceptionally appealing feline subject.
Provenance: The estate of Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone.
Price: $1,500.00