DALLAS, TX.- Heritage’s Nov. 4 Illustration Art Signature® Auction achieved $3.8 million with buyer’s premium, the highest total for a dedicated Heritage Illustration Art sale since 2010 and the second-highest in the category’s history. The event saw 457 lots offered to more than 1,904 bidders worldwide, with an exceptional 99% sell-through rate, underscoring the vitality and breadth of today’s illustration market.

Top Results

Frank Frazetta’s A Princess of Mars (1970) led the auction at $1,437,500, followed by a trio of $87,500 results: Chesley Bonestell’s Space Station Under Construction, Ernest Howard Shepard’s Winnie-the-Pooh cover and interior studies, and Frank Xavier Leyendecker’s Pierrot and Columbine (Vanity Fair cover, June 1915). Additional standouts included Gil Elvgren’s Ballerina(1946) at $61,250, J.C. Leyendecker’s A Song of Faith (1925) at $60,000, and Lawrence Toney’s Rest-A-While (The Saturday Evening Post cover, 1928) at $55,000.

Greg and Tim Hildebrandt’s Treebeard (1976) realized $52,500, while other highlights included Charles Addams’ She Shows Up Every Halloween ($45,000), Dean Cornwell’s Mary Washing Jesus’s Feet ($37,500), and Alberto Vargas’ 1963 Playboy interior Darling, It’s My Hat I Want Your Opinion On ($37,500).

Record-Setting Artists and Category Highlights

Two new world auction records were established: Gerald Brom’s The Last Note (Dragon Magazine cover, 1998) realized $32,500, and Edward Sorel’s Christmas Past, Christmas Present(The New Yorker cover, 1996) achieved $15,000, each marking new benchmarks for the artists.

Heritage’s category directors were particularly pleased with the performances of Chesley Bonestell, whose space art captured top-tier interest across multiple lots; Michael Whelan, whose The Gods Laughed sold for $27,500; and Ernest Howard Shepard, whose Winnie-the-Pooh works remain perennial favorites.

“This auction demonstrates the incredible range and strength of the illustration art market right now,” says Meagen McMillan, Heritage’s Senior Specialist of Illustration Art. “From Bonestell’s cosmic vistas to Shepard’s timeless drawings, the results reflect both the diversity of the field and the deep passion of its collectors.”

Sarahjane Blum, Heritage’s Director of Illustration Art, adds: “Illustration continues to be one of the most dynamic and emotionally resonant areas of the art world. To see fresh records and consistent enthusiasm across every era, from the Golden Age to contemporary fantasy, reaffirms the vibrancy of this category and its ever-growing audience.”