[Christmas] [Arthur Rackham] [Francis Pharcellus Church]

A Merry Christmas from Mr. and Mrs. John Barry Ryan: Christmas 1932 [with original Rackham cover art]

[New York City] [London]: 1932. Green paper wrapss with color illustration pasted to front cover, string bound, bifolium printed in black and red ink on Vidalon paper, signed by Rackham on the first page, very good.

John Barry Ryan Jr. was the grandson and heir of prominent financier Thomas Fortune Ryan. In 1928, he married Margaret (Nin) Kahn, daughter of Otto Kahn whose wealth and mustache were the inspiration for "Mr. Monopoly" and was sometimes known as "the King of New York."

The Ryans were both collectors and patrons of the arts. A limited number of Rackham's The Night Before Christmas were printed with an extra leaf tipped in to the the front of the book that reads, "A Merry Christmas from Mr. and Mrs. John Barry Ryan, Christmas 1931" and supposedly distributed to friends and family. 

This is their Christmas greeting from 1932. Printed inside is Church's "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus." It seems to be a sort of prenatal gift as their daughter, Virginia, was born on February 9, 1933. Virginia Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie, was the first American to be a lady-in-waiting, serving Elizabeth II until her death in 2022, and was a Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

The Santa Claus illustration on the cover seems to be specially commissioned by Ryan for the occasion as "Copyright, 1932, by John Barry Ryan" is printed right beneath it. This image was not included in Rackham's illustrations for The Night Before Christmas and is stylistically different enough that it isn't believed to be an abandoned plate for that project. Arthur Rackham signed this copy on the bottom of the first page.

Scarce with one holding in OCLC and no previous sales records.

. Item #9076

Price: $2,500.00