Arthur SARNOFF - Genuine Colonial, Collier's story illustration, 1951.

ARTHUR SARON SARNOFF (American, 1912-2000)
Collier's illustration, January 27, 1951
Gouache on board
20 x 17 in.
Signed lower right

Caption: "In a sudden panic, she gazed down at Brad through the dusty glass window. With an awful feeling that their parting was final, she wrote; I love you."

I've always liked this painting which was once part of Charles Martignette's estate, so when it failed to sell at auction recently, I figured I would reach out with an offer. Heritage Auctions, which sold this painting in 2015, incorrectly listed it as having appeared in John Andrew Rice's short story, Where Love Begins, from the February 3, 1951 issue of Collier's, so now you can find this image all over the internet with the title "Where Love Begins." In fact, the illustration for Where Love Begins was done by Stanley Klimley, and this Sarnoff painting actually appeared with the Joan Vatsek short story, Genuine Colonial, a week earlier.

Sarnoff seems to be a "tinkerer" in that I've seen at least four of his paintings that have been modified very slightly after publication, similar to how George Lucas can't stop messing with the original Star Wars trilogy. In this case, changes had been made at some point to the woman's hat, the folds of her coat, and the interior of the train. It's as if Sarnoff looked at the painting later and decided the lighting on the woman was too harsh for such a rainy day. I'm also curious what happened to the strip of painting on page 16. Was that done on a separate illustration board or did someone cut it off (seems unlikely anyone would do such a thing)?