Description

A stylish early 20th-century costume design by Hamilton and Clarissa Condon, depicting two richly dressed figures identified in the lower right as “France / 1500 / Upper Classes.” Executed in watercolor on paper, the illustration presents a standing nobleman and woman in elaborate period dress, with bold passages of black, blue, red, gray, and pale pink. The costumes are rendered with crisp decorative linework and careful attention to textile pattern, jewelry, headdress, sleeves, and the theatrical silhouette of late medieval or early Renaissance dress.

The work has immediate decorative appeal, but it also carries the charm of design history: costume, theater, fashion, and historical imagination all colliding politely on one sheet of paper. The figures have a graceful stage-like presence, with the man’s raised arm and the woman’s dark trailing gown giving the composition both movement and drama. It is elegant, graphic, and just theatrical enough without bursting into song.

Hamilton Condon was an early 20th-century American/Bahamian artist and theatrical designer whose career crossed several wonderfully impractical worlds — actor, dancer, puppeteer, performer, and scenery designer. He is documented as a puppeteer and performer with the Greenwich Village Follies during the 1920s, and works signed “H. and C. Condon” are associated with finely rendered historical costume illustrations in watercolor and ink. For Windsor Gallery, Condon’s appeal lies in that overlap between fine art, theater, fashion, and decorative design: his work brings a sense of period drama, stagecraft, and graphic elegance to the collection. It fits Windsor Gallery’s interest in historically grounded works with strong visual character — not only paintings and prints, but also works on paper connected to costume, design, performance, and the decorative arts.

Object Details

Artists: Hamilton & Clarissa Condon
Nationality/Association: American / Bahamian, early 20th century, per auction listing
Title:Costume Design Illustration: Upper Classes, France
Inscription: “France / 1500 / Upper Classes” lower right
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Signature: Signed lower left, “H. and C. Condon”
Image Size: 14 × 12 inches
Paper Size: 20 × 15 inches
Presentation: Unframed
Subject: Historical costume design; upper-class French dress, c. 1500
Style: Costume illustration / theatrical design / fashion history work on paper

Condition

The work presents well overall, with strong color and fine decorative detail. The paper shows visible age-related condition issues, including scattered foxing, age toning, small marks, and handling wear. The auction listing notes one small hole in the lower right quadrant, some foxing, and some age toning. The reverse shows additional age toning, foxing, and a modern inventory label.

The sheet is currently unframed. Please review all photographs carefully, as they form part of the condition description.

Purchase Details

Price: $195
Shipping quoted separately. Please inquire for additional photographs, condition details, or a shipping estimate.