MATCHED ORIGINAL THEATRICAL PRODUCTION DESIGN ARTWORK
“ANNABELLE” & “THE TOY SHOP”
A remarkable surviving pair of original hand-rendered theatrical production artwork consisting of an individual character/costume design and its corresponding scenic/set design.
These are ORIGINAL hand-created production pieces — NOT prints or reproductions.
The two works were preserved together and came directly from the estate of longtime theatrical professional Larry Fazio.
The artist/designer is presently unidentified. We are NOT attributing the artwork itself to Larry Fazio.
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“ANNABELLE” — CHARACTER / COSTUME RENDERING
The first piece is a complete front-facing rendering for a character identified directly on the presentation board as:
ANNABELLE
Annabelle is depicted as a highly stylized doll-like character with curled red hair, multiple bows, an elaborate purple dress with large puffed sleeves, ruffled collar and skirt, fitted waist, stockings and matching shoes.
The drawing carefully establishes the character's complete visual appearance, including costume silhouette, colors, accessories, hair and overall presentation.
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“THE TOY SHOP” — SCENIC / SET RENDERING
The companion piece is an original perspective rendering identified directly on its presentation board as:
“THE TOY SHOP”
This is much more than a general illustration of a room.
The artist has developed an entire theatrical environment, including the floor and raised platforms, entrance, curtains, shelving, furniture and placement of numerous individual scenic and prop elements.
The Toy Shop contains an extraordinary amount of visual information.
Among the objects depicted are toy soldiers, train, rocking chair, elephant, toy chest, balls, animals, furniture and numerous smaller toys and objects.
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THE DETAIL THAT CONNECTS THE TWO PIECES:
Look carefully at the shelf on the left side of “THE TOY SHOP.”
ANNABELLE IS THERE.
A miniature version of the same red-haired character in the purple costume appears among the toys.
Her distinctive red/orange curled hair, bows and purple dress correspond directly with the separate Annabelle character rendering.
This is an important surviving visual relationship between the two originals.
Rather than two unrelated theatrical drawings, we have the individual Annabelle character/costume concept AND a larger scenic environment into which that character was incorporated.
For someone familiar with theatrical production material, this is exactly the type of relationship that makes surviving groups of design artwork particularly interesting.
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ADDITIONAL ORIGINAL PRODUCTION NOTATION:
The reverse of “THE TOY SHOP” carries another large handwritten notation:
“Truck Driver”
There is also a separate handwritten symbol/mark above the wording.
We have not determined what “Truck Driver” refers to and are intentionally leaving its meaning open rather than making an unsupported attribution.
It could potentially provide an important clue for future research into the production, designer or use of the artwork.
Please see the photograph of the reverse.
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SIZE / PRESENTATION:
These are substantial production pieces rather than small sketches.
The Annabelle presentation board measures approximately 20" tall based on the photographed ruler measurement.
The Toy Shop presentation board measures approximately 16" tall based on the photographed ruler measurement.
Please refer to the measurement photographs for the complete dimensions and scale.
Both original renderings are mounted to matching red presentation boards with their respective titles handwritten directly beneath the artwork.
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ORIGINAL ARTWORK:
Both designs are individually hand rendered.
Visible media includes black linework together with hand-applied transparent and opaque color/washes.
These are not commercially printed images.
The individual marks, washes, lines and working characteristics of the drawings are readily visible throughout the originals.
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LARRY FAZIO ESTATE PROVENANCE:
Both pieces came directly from the estate of theatrical professional Larry Fazio.
Fazio's career was extensively connected with theatrical production, including professional stage management and directing.
The Larry Fazio estate provenance is included because it provides meaningful context for why original theatrical production material such as this was preserved.
Again, we are NOT claiming Larry Fazio was the artist/designer.
Artist/designer and exact production are presently unidentified.
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CONDITION:
These are vintage production/presentation materials and show genuine age and use.
Visible condition includes toning, discoloration, handling wear, edge and corner wear, small holes/pinholes, mounting wear and other age-related imperfections.
The backs show substantial natural aging/toning.
Please examine all photographs carefully.
Nothing has been cleaned, restored or altered by us.
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A SPECIAL SURVIVING PAIR
For the theatrical collector, designer, historian or archive, the appeal here goes beyond the individual artwork.
The pair preserves two different parts of a production's visual development:
THE CHARACTER:
“ANNABELLE”
and
THE ENVIRONMENT:
“THE TOY SHOP”
The appearance of Annabelle within the Toy Shop rendering provides the visual connection between them.
The additional handwritten “Truck Driver” notation on the reverse may offer another avenue for future identification and research.
Original theatrical production artwork such as this was created as part of the working process rather than as mass-produced merchandise.
Once the production was over, material of this nature could easily be separated, discarded or lost.
Here, the related character and scenic renderings survived together within the estate of a professional theater figure.
Sold ONLY as the matched pair.
Exactly the two original pieces shown in the photographs are what you will receive.