The original sketch of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood, possibly the ‘most famous map in children’s literature’, has been sold for a world record £430,000 at auction.
A memorable backdrop to A.A. Milne’s classic creation, the 1926 sketch has remained unseen for almost half a century.
Drawn by illustrator E.H. Shepard, it encompasses unforgettable locations from the ‘Pooh Trap for Heffalumps’ to the famous spot ‘where the Woozle wasn’t’.
Sotheby’s described it as ‘possibly the most famous map in children’s literature’.
Sotheby’s sold an original sketch of this memorable backdrop to A.A. Milne’s classic creation after it has remained unseen for almost half a century. The map was reproduced on the endpapers of Winnie-the-Pooh.
And after being kept from the public for almost five decades, it has set a world record for any book illustration sold at auction after it was bought today for a staggering £430,000.
The map was offered alongside four further original Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations by E.H. Shepard, none of which had been seen for almost 50 years.
The famous illustration maps the magical world of Winnie-the-Pooh and captures the unique personalities of A.A. Milne’s much-loved characters.
Eeyore is depicted with his head hanging sluggishly in the grass, while the energetic Roo bounces towards the ‘sandy pit’ where he plays.
The Hundred Acre Wood is possibly the most famous map in children’s literature, as the setting for the cherished adventures of Christopher Robin and his friends Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore
A solitary Winnie-the-Pooh sits thoughtfully looking out over the wood to his friend, Christopher Robin, who stands with boyish arrogance looking back.
Sotheby’s said: ‘Once Milne had created the literary landscape of the hundred acre wood and surrounding features, it was Shepard who firmly established the visual setting.
‘With typical Shepard humour the map is supposed to be the work of Christopher Robin (‘Drawn by me and Mr Shepard helpd’) and includes a number of Christopher Robin’s own spellings (“piknicks”, “raletions” and “rox”).’
The top illustration shows best friends Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh walking hand-in-hand to say their final goodbye at the top of the Forest. A.A. Milne described this moment as: ‘…wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place in the top of the Forest a little boy and his bear will always be playing’
The ‘charming childishness’ of Christopher Robin is marked by the clumsy ‘100 AKER WOOD’, as well as a compass marked with points spelling out the title character’s name.
Hundred Acre Wood was inspired by Ashdown Forest in East Sussex.
In 1925, AA Milne bought Cotchford Farm on the edge of the forest and he soon started publishing stories about the beloved bear.
The map recently emerged for the first time in almost 50 years and was one of the highlights of Sotheby’s English Literature, History, Science, Children’s Books and Illustrations sale.
Experts gave it an estimate of between £100,000 and £150,000 – but after worldwide attention it ended up selling for £430,000.
This beat the previous record for any book illustration of £314,500, set at Sotheby’s in December 2014 for the original illustration for Poohsticks.
The auction included original sketches of Christopher Robin’s most famous friends, filled with charming details like Eeyore’s Gloomy Place, above
Dr Philip W. Errington, director and senior specialist, Department of Printed Books and Manuscripts, Sotheby’s said: ‘I suspect that there isn’t a single child who wouldn’t instantly recognise this wonderful depiction of The Hundred Acre Wood.
‘This is the first drawing you encounter in the book and is the visual guide to the entire world of Winnie-the-Pooh.
‘In this group of original drawings, you can see the real skill of the artist, the skill of the strokes of his pen.
E.H. Shepard – An ink drawing from The House at Pooh Corner. Despite being the work of Shepard, who also later illustrated Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, the map suggests that he was merely a helping hand, as Christopher Robin’s childish script signs off ‘Drawn by me and Mr Shepard helped’
‘They’ve never been brought out in the UK or the US with illustrations by anyone else apart from EH Shepard and that is the power, and ability of the illustrator, and why this is probably the most famous map in English literature.’
Featuring on the opening end-papers of the original 1926 book, the sketch introduces readers to the delightful imagination of Christopher Robin and his woodland friends.
Exactly 40 years later the map played a starring role in the landmark Disney film – Winnie-the-Pooh and the Honey Tree – where it was brought to life as an animation in the film’s opening sequence.
In total, the map and other illustrations sold for a combined £917,500 – three times the lower estimate.