December 10-13, 2024 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/10/2024
Peter Copeland. "3rd Regt. Continental Light Dragoons 1781." Ink on illustration board, 22 x 16 in. in.; signed "Copeland/66" in lower left; conservation matted. An officer of this famous corps is seen adjusting his captured Potter dragoon saber, with Williamsburg's Bruton Parish Church as a backdrop. Holst/Copeland historical notes on the figure from the print series attached to reverse. CONDITION: uniform light toning to the paper, with a few "white-out" spots done by the artist when composing the scene.
Peter F. Copeland (1927-2007) lived a number of lives over 80 years: merchant seaman, combat artist, exhibits specialist at Museum of National History, bon vivant and historical illustrator and in the latter years of his life, as author-artist of an historical coloring book series. In the mid 1960s, he collaborated with Don Holst, another Smithsonian specialist, on a limited edition print series that they called "Brother Jonathan." At that time, Pete was at the height of his power as an illustrator and the team had access to original arms and uniforms in the Smithsonian collections for reference and Holst even posed with such in hand for Pete's photography and sketching. Pete had a great sense of humor and it shows in his illustration work, his portrayals of America's fighting men of the Revolution are more akin to Bill Mauldin's Willie & Joe than a uniform study by Detaille and his ilk--but with more attention to detail where it mattered, as in cut of clothing or arms features or in depicting campaign wear on garments, equipment and personage. In the 1960s, he was at the top of his abilities, but once I purchased the originals from Pete in 2006 (all but forgotten and rescued from his basement on my query), I also understood why these small 8 1/2 x 14 prints were so incredibly detailed: his pen and ink originals were nearly more than 2-3 times that size!! This work and the two that follow were among my favorite compositions in the series and also the ones that survived without any damage from damp, etc.