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Sotheby’s to Auction
The Most Famous Book Illustration of the 20th Century:
E.H. Shepard’s original ink drawing of Winnie-the-Pooh,
Christopher Robin and Piglet on the ‘Poohsticks’ bridge
From A.A. Milne’s celebrated The House on Pooh Corner
Sotheby’s is delighted to announce the
auction of arguably the most famous and
evocative book illustration of the
twentieth century: E.H. Shepard’s
original ink drawing of Christopher
Robin, Piglet and Pooh on the famous
‘poohsticks’ bridge, first published in A.A.
Milne’s celebrated The House at Pooh
Corner in 1928.
Having formed the frontispiece for this
(and many subsequent) editions, the
illustration can be counted among the
most familiar, and most loved, cultural
references in English literature.
Estimated at £100,000-150,000, the
drawing has been in a private collection
for almost forty years, and will be sold as
part of Sotheby’s auction of English
Literature, History, Children's Books and
Illustrations on 9th December 2014.
The drawing features in chapter six “in which Pooh invents a new game and Eeyore joins
in”. The game is, of course, ‘Poohsticks’, described by Milne as a game “...which Pooh
invented, and which he and his friends used to play on the edge of the Forest”.
The illustration accompanies the chapter’s closing scene when Christopher Robin, Pooh
and Piglet are left on the famous ‘Poohsticks’ bridge by themselves. Suddenly the tone
changes from the excitement of playing the game - and tips about how to win - to a more
wistful and contemplative mood:
‘For a long time they looked at the river beneath them, saying nothing, and the river said
nothing too, for it felt very quiet and peaceful on this summer afternoon’.
Piglet breaks the silence, volunteering his view that “Tigger is all right, really”, to which
Pooh adds “Everybody is really... But I don’t suppose I’m right...” Christopher Robin’s final
affirmation that Pooh is indeed correct closes the chapter in a spirit of unified friendship
and forgiveness, a message central to A.A. Milne’s books.
To this, Shepard has added his own detail and quiet humour: Christopher Robin is leaning
over the top of the bridge, Pooh has his paws on the lowest rung and Piglet, too short to
reach a rung and a little timid, safely holds onto Pooh making sure he is not too close to
the edge.
‘Poohsticks’ Bridge
By the late 1970s the original wooden bridge, known as Posingford bridge, at Hartfield
Farm, Sussex had fallen into disrepair. It was carefully restored and reopened by
Christopher Milne (A.A. Milne’s son who provided the inspiration for Christopher Robin) in
May 1979. At the ceremony it was claimed that the bridge was “as important a bridge as
any in the world”.
As visitor numbers increased the bridge began to suffer and in 1999 a complete
reconstruction was necessary. Since 1984 the annual World Poohsticks Championships
have been held at Day’s Lock on the River Thames.
Please click here for a full list of the rules of ‘Poohsticks’.
Sotheby’s London Auction of English Literature, History, Children’s Books & Illustrations
9 December 2014
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