Item #1480 Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)
Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)

Unpublished Children’s Book Artwork and Letters by Janet Rayner (Connecticut Artist, 1980s–1990s)

Item #1480

This unique 11.5” x 12.5” artist’s sketchs contains 35 original illustrations across 25 leaves (25 pages) in a loose leaf notebook. The art is by Janet Rayner, a Connecticut-based artist active during the 1980s and 1990s. Included are four handwritten letters (on lined composition paper) addressed to a “Tom,” suggesting the collection represents a working collaboration, likely for a series of children’s books. One of the letters is dated 1993.

The illustrations are executed primarily in pencil, with select pieces incorporating black ink, letter stickers, black paper, and white-out for editing. The drawings appear to be preliminary or conceptual sketches, possibly sent by Rayner to “Tom” for review or approval.

One sketch is particularly noteworthy: hidden behind a drawing of a stone house at the water’s edge (with a pig’s head mirage floating in the sky) is a lightly rendered figure of a girl. On the verso, a letter reads:

“Dear Tom — Here is the original and 8 copies of the illustration for ‘The Girls of Nashawena Island’. It took a million years… Love, Janet.”

Subjects in the sketchbook include whimsical and narrative-driven scenes:

Maps labeled Black Mesa and Dunstan Manor Estate

Figures such as drummer boys, a boy climbing a flagpole, a police officer’s shadow, a bear, dog, and a grave robber

A series of drawings featuring Native women, one of whom bears lash marks on her back beneath the quoted caption:

“Now let me do something about your back.”

Other figures are labeled in letters as “Candle Fairy,” “River Girl,” and a pair of “fused lockets on the burnt table” (the first and third of which are identifiable in the collection)

Also included:

Five envelopes postmarked from Switzerland (no contents)

Three handmade birthday cards: two apparently created by children for “Tom” and one by Janet in a childlike style

Two handmade Christmas cards

These sketches not only provides insight into Rayner’s artistic process but also offers an intriguing glimpse into an unpublished or possibly lost illustrated book project. It is a compelling artifact of collaborative creativity from the late 20th century.

Price: $300.00

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