DAN SWEENEY (1880-1958). - Lot 21

DAN SWEENEY (1880-1958). Flower sellers at Hanoi's Restituted Sword Lake. Framed watercolor on paper, signed lower right. Circa 1920-1930. Rare illustration project for a luggage label made for the Grand Hôtel Métropole in Hanoi. Dimensions: 27x17 cm (view). Dan Sweeney is one of the great illustrators of this period. Born in Sacramento, USA, the American artist worked mainly for magazines and newspapers before attracting the attention of hotels, particularly in China (Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing), who commissioned him to produce posters and other advertising materials. Although the artist was already known for his work as an illustrator for American editorial offices, today he is best known for the luggage tags he designed for various hotels, including several in Indochina. The luggage label for the Grand Hôtel Métropole, a legendary Hanoi institution, is one of the best-known that the artist created in the late 1920s. The design presented here is extremely rare, and is the only known example ever presented of this famous illustration.