Holland, Nicola.

[Group of Fashion Drawings by an African American Woman].

Los Angeles, California: [circa 1936-1940]. 19 works of mostly pencil and crayon (one is watercolor) on either art paper or artist's board measuring approximately 20” x 13”. Generally good plus to very good with varying degrees of wear; occasional chipping or dust soiling.

This is a collection of spectacular fashion drawings created by a young African American woman in Southern California, possibly while working for the WPA. Nicola Jeanette Holland Fowles was born March 5, 1910 in Kansas City, Missouri to John and Essie Holland. By 1920 the Hollands had moved to Los Angeles and Nicola attended and graduated from Jefferson High School in 1927. Nicola attended Pasadena City College taking art classes aspiring to be a costume designer. She enrolled in Lipson's School of Costume Design by 1935. Throughout the mid 1930's she held various costume design and dressmaking positions working for the Los Angeles Board of Education in the Visual Education Section of Works Progress Administration. She later held the titles 'Jr. Clerk', 'Jr. Artist', and later 'Department Head Ladies Alterations' at Eastern Columbia Department Store by 1940. We are not sure when, or for whom, these pieces were created (one is dated 1936), but several of the designs remind us of the WPA's Costumes of the World series.

“The Cocktail Hour” is an art deco design and features a tall, slender, African American woman holding a cigarette as well as her cigarette case. “Fur Cape and Matching Hat” shows a woman in a fur coat and fur hat, wearing gloves and a green dress. Another shows a woman in a red dress, with a blue and purple cape, along with headwear reminiscent of Greek or Roman fashion; at least two other designs reflect ancient fashions as well. There's a woman in an Elizabethan gown, another in regal medieval dress wearing a crown, one shows a woman in 18th century French dress and a fourth is clearly Egyptian. Two, “Dance Frock” and “Brocade” have prices of $15 and $20, respectively, written in Nicola's hand on the verso, leading to the inference that she exhibited and tried to sell some of these drawings. A few may also have been intended for publication as some have specific color codes detailed on versos.

Nicola went on to various interesting jobs throughout the rest of her career, and we'll be happy to furnish what we know to whomever acquires this collection.

Unique and compelling original fashion designs from a Black female artist. Good +. Item #9047

Price: $5,000.00