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Walt Disney's Personal WWI Sketchbook with Drawings.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Disneyana Start Price:75,000.00 USD Estimated At:75,000.00 - 100,000.00 USD
Walt Disney's Personal WWI Sketchbook with Drawings.
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All items are sold as is. Contact Van Eaton Galleries for condition reports and shipping information. 21% Buyer's Premium for all lots.
(Disney, c.1918-19) An incredible, one-of-a-kind sketchbook containing some of the earliest known drawings by Walt Disney. Walt's experiences overseas were life-changing and would largely affect the development of his artistic abilities. During his service, he would draw on his ambulance, illustrate canteen menus, and sketch political cartoons, among other artistic endeavors. This book, titled "A Scrap Book Made for Our Soldiers and Sailors," was used by Walt as his personal sketchbook and contains 13 characters hand-drawn by Walt on five different pages. The illustrations are a fantastic look into the young mind of Walt Disney and include political and societal commentary on issues relating to the war and mental health. Of particular note are two separate cartoons featuring "trench rats," as Walt would make light of his experiences with such rodents during his time with the Red Cross. These are the earliest known rodent drawings by Walt, created nearly ten years before Mickey Mouse. The drawings are primarily accomplished in india ink and pencil, and many of the drawings are signed "Disney" and dated to 1918. The book was sent by Walt to his former classmate Virginia Baker, and was passed to Baker's daughter, Leslie Riddell. Baker used several empty interior pages as her own personal scrapbook. The book and its history have been widely recorded, such as in David Lesjak's book, "In the Service of the Red Cross," and a copy of the book is included in this lot. The scrapbook comes with letters and scans of documentation collected by the Walt Disney Archives in the 1970s and 1980s, when Riddell was working with them to scan Walt's original drawings within the scrapbook for their historical records. Also included is a separate letter from the former director of the Walt Disney Archives, Dave Smith, regarding the provenance and historical importance of this item. The book measures 11"x14" and is in fair condition with moderate wear throughout from use, including chips around the edges and spots of discoloration. The significance of this scrapbook within the history of The Walt Disney Company cannot be overstated, as it represents some of the earliest hand-drawn illustrations by Walt Disney.