TONY SARG (1880-1942)
The Coachman 1911
gouache on paper, signed and dated
19 x 15 ins (48.3 x 38.1 cm)
Framed: 23 x 19 ins (58.4 x 48.3 cm)

 Inscribed on the reverse: A SIMPLE H’EXPLANATION. Puzzled American: “say, cabbie, why don’t you say Hampstead instead of Ampstead”

Cabbie “well, sir, you see its like this; we drop the ‘h’ at ‘Ampstead and then we picks it up again at H’Islington

Artist, illustrator, poster designer, and puppeteer, Sarg was born to a German father and an English mother. In the pre-war years, he left his mark on the British art scene, notably with his poster designs for London Transport. With the rising anti-German sentiment during WWI, Sarg relocated from London to New York in 1915. In America, one of his acheivements was to design helium-filled character balloons for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927, a tradition that continues to this day. He was also an author of children's books, toy designer, and interior designer. In his later years, he lived in Nantucket, where he became a celebrated local figure