1925 Original Drawing of Library Scene with Readers (Possibly the New York Public Library) by Henrik Major, Hungarian-American caricaturist and artist.

“[H]e obtained fame as the artist to portray most monarchs, statesmen, public figures and celebrities…”

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Executed in 1925, this engaging bookish scene by Hungarian-American caricaturist Henrik Major (1895–1948) captures a moment of quiet study in what may be a reading room of the New York Public Library. Rendered in pencil and subtle color wash, the drawing depicts figures absorbed in books beneath green-shaded lamps, a motif reminiscent of the NYPL’s famed Rose Main Reading Room.

“Major excelled with his drawings as early as his childhood and published the first caricature at the age of 19 in the satirical magazine Fidibusz. His sketches of only a couple of lines marked a completely new trend for the Hungarian artists of the genre. Due to his sense of humor, straightforwardness, and no text or just a pair of lines added to his drawings, became the most popular young artist in the Hungarian press. He signed his works as ‘Major’ or ‘Sicu’ and was employed by all the satirical magazines and many prestigious newspapers [...His drawings, always of high artistic level, became part of the urban mass culture. Major set several records: he obtained fame as the artist to portray most monarchs, statesmen, public figures and celebrities, and his speed was also legendary, as it did not take him more than 4 minutes to draw a picture.” (Open Days, Memorial Days, Night of Museums 2015 accessed online)

Born Henrik Marktbreiter in Salonta, Major trained under Károly Ferenczy in Budapest and gained early recognition through satirical work published in Fidibusz, Jankó Borsszem, and Színházi Élet. His caricature books Komédiások and The Panopticon of Henrik Major (1913) were issued by Tevan Library in Békéscsaba, and he exhibited at the Ernst Museum in 1915. After the fall of the Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919, Major emigrated to Paris and subsequently worked in the Netherlands (Telegraph), London (The Graphic), and Amsterdam.

Major is believed to have immigrated to the United States in 1926, later contributing to Vanity Fair and caricaturing figures such as Calvin Coolidge and Charlie Chaplin. This 1925 drawing likely reflects an earlier visit to New York or suggests he arrived prior to his official relocation. He eventually settled in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he died in 1948.

Price: $450.00