Painting for Sale

[Tony Summerfield]

I have had an email sent to me with the following press release attached to it:-

PRESS RELEASE
A chance to own one of Enid Blyton’s treasured paintings
Painting that hung above Enid Blyton as she wrote at Green Hedges, on sale in auction for
£300 - £500. 20 May 2014.

Enid Blyton bought two Marion Broom watercolours from Harrods. These hung above Enid Blyton as she
wrote her books and letters. This extract is taken from Imogen Smallwood’s ‘A Childhood at Green Hedges’:

“My mother particularly liked Marion Broom and her anenomes and delphiniums hung above the real
flowers. To the left of the fireplace, beside a little window that looked towards the small verandah, stood my mother’s chair in which she wrote her books and letters, week after week and year after year.”

‘Anenomes’ by Marion Broom, complete with a copy of ‘A Childhood at Green Hedges’ and a
handwritten postcard from Imogen Smallwood confirming the provenance, will be sold at auction on
20 May 2014.

Imogen Smallwood details in her autobiography how much ‘Anenomes’ by Marion Broom meant to Enid
Blyton:
“Our visits [to Harrods] brought her joy and sparked an interest in pictures in me… And of course she bought her Marion Broom flower pictures for the lounge.”

Anenomes by Marion Broom will be sold by Dreweatts of Donnington Priory at auction on 20 May 2014. Bids can be made in person on the day, by telephone, online or by commission (absentee/left) bids.

Enid Blyton’s Marion Broom painting is lot number 253. The auction catalogue can be viewed or
downloaded from the following web page:
http://www.dreweatts.com/cms/pages/auction/13769" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Moonraker]

I would have thought you'd be bidding on that one, Tony.

http://www.dreweatts.com/cms/pages/lot/13769/253" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Carlotta King]

Hehe I notice they've called them 'Anenomes' rather than 'Anemones'!

Very pretty painting though, I like it.

[Moonraker]

Well spotted! I think I would have mis-spelt it too.

[Carlotta King]

I think it's one of those things that everyone commonly mis-pronounces and as so mis-spells, like the people who say nu-cu-lar rather than nu-clear.

[Poppy]

What a beautiful painting (well out of my price range for a picture, however!) Enid obviously had good taste. It reminds me of the pictures Enid drew herself - they were on display at the exhibition at Seven Stories. It will be interesting to see what it goes for.

[Anita Bensoussane]

At the Seven Stories Enid Blyton Exhibition (which was launched exactly a year ago!) there were two watercolour paintings by Enid Blyton of flowers arranged in jugs/vases. I wonder whether Enid was inspired by Marion Broom.

Edit: Sorry - I hadn't seen your post when I submitted mine, Poppy!

[Poppy]

No problem, Anita. Can't believe it's a year since the exhibition opened; it doesn't seem long ago at all! I wonder if it's been many places on tour?

[Tony Summerfield]

At present Seven Stories have no 'takers' for the Blyton Exhibition to go on tour and they are going to send back all the things that they borrowed from me. I have asked them to hold on to everything for the moment as my Blyton area is just a building site at present!!

[Poppy]

Thanks for that, Tony. Disappointing there's been no takers for the exhibition to tour - I'm sure it would have been enjoyable for families, etc to delve into the magical world the exhibition offered.

[Julie2owlsdene]

I would have liked to have seen a tour, as Newcastle is much too far really for a quick visit.

Going back to the painting, it doesn't seem to have a frame!

[Moonraker]

Auctioneer's websites rarely show the frame. It is the picture you are bidding for - you can buy a frame off eBay.