TRUMAN CAPOTE'S ANTIQUE FELIX THE CAT WOODEN TOY
A jointed wooden figure of Felix the Cat, of the sort made from the early 1920s under license from the character's creators. Turned and carved wood painted matt black, with a ball head, a cream face bearing the two large ringed eyes and black nose, pointed black ears, jointed arms and legs, flat block feet and a long tail built up from graduated wooden beads so that it bends. The name FELIX is stencilled in cream capitals down the front of the body. No maker's stamp found.
Condition: complete and holding together, the joints still moving. Heavy wear as played with: the black paint rubbed through to bare wood across the back of the head, along the arms and at the feet, chipping to both ear tips and to the block feet, and general scuffing. The cream face and the FELIX stencil are clear. No breaks or losses to the tail beads.
Approx. Dimensions: 4 " high
Artist or Maker: American, probably Schoenhut, Philadelphia; unmarked
Provenance: Truman Capote; Gerald Clarke, his biographer
This lot is part of The Magpie and the Swans: The Possessions of Truman Capote, collected over a lifetime between New York and Sagaponack, and preserved since 1984 by his biographer, Gerald Clarke.
Notes: Although care is taken to photograph and describe the item, absence of a condition report does not imply perfect condition. It is the responsibility of the buyer to verify the condition of the item, either in person or by requesting a condition report.
Appeal: felix the cat, schoenhut, jointed wooden toy, wood figure toy, 1920s toy, cartoon character toy, antique toy, character collectible, americana, childhood toy, literary memorabilia, truman capote
A jointed wooden figure of Felix the Cat, of the sort made from the early 1920s under license from the character's creators. Turned and carved wood painted matt black, with a ball head, a cream face bearing the two large ringed eyes and black nose, pointed black ears, jointed arms and legs, flat block feet and a long tail built up from graduated wooden beads so that it bends. The name FELIX is stencilled in cream capitals down the front of the body. No maker's stamp found.
Condition: complete and holding together, the joints still moving. Heavy wear as played with: the black paint rubbed through to bare wood across the back of the head, along the arms and at the feet, chipping to both ear tips and to the block feet, and general scuffing. The cream face and the FELIX stencil are clear. No breaks or losses to the tail beads.
Approx. Dimensions: 4 " high
Artist or Maker: American, probably Schoenhut, Philadelphia; unmarked
Provenance: Truman Capote; Gerald Clarke, his biographer
This lot is part of The Magpie and the Swans: The Possessions of Truman Capote, collected over a lifetime between New York and Sagaponack, and preserved since 1984 by his biographer, Gerald Clarke.
Notes: Although care is taken to photograph and describe the item, absence of a condition report does not imply perfect condition. It is the responsibility of the buyer to verify the condition of the item, either in person or by requesting a condition report.
Appeal: felix the cat, schoenhut, jointed wooden toy, wood figure toy, 1920s toy, cartoon character toy, antique toy, character collectible, americana, childhood toy, literary memorabilia, truman capote
