Arthur B. Frost 

(1851-1928)

A. B. Frost is the perfect example of the gifted illustrator and fine artist in an era when talented artists crossed this imaginary boundary often and with ease. In 1896, he brought to the American public a visualization of Joel Chandler Harris’ “Uncle Remis” with his marvelous skill at pen and ink. As an artist he produced an iconic series of hunting scenes in rural settings from which Scribner’s produced a series of lithographs. Kennedy Gallery supplied the opportunity in 1973 to obtain a marvelous example of his pen and ink work in a complex figural piece, entitled Log Rolling, that depicts a variety of nationalities and ethnic groups working the logging camps. Three years later, at Spanierman Gallery, I saw an amazing little still life of a copper pot and two yellow apples that struck me as so painterly, so fresh. It is one of those rare and exciting pictures that when you know who painted it you can safely challenge anybody to identify the artist—with certainty, they’ll never guess. It is an exceptional piece by Frost painted while studying with William Merritt Chase and I couldn’t refuse it. It does define for me what the word “jewel” is all about.