Artwork
An Evening party
An Evening party is a drawing by Wilfrid R. Addey. It dates from 1944 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
An Evening Party is a pen and ink drawing by Wilfrid R. Addey, depicting the vibrant scene of a high-society gathering in a spacious interior, likely a house or hotel entrance hall.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing captures a moment of elegance, contrasting the conversational foreground with the lively background, where waiters serve champagne and couples dance, evoking the luxury of post-war high society.
Technique & Style
Addey's use of pen and ink conveys refinement, while the female figures' stylized features—thin eyebrows, defined lips, and elongated bodies—align with 1940s fashion illustration trends.
History & Provenance
Created in the late 1940s or early 1950s, this work was likely commissioned as a magazine illustration, reflecting Addey's career as a commercial artist in London's advertising boom.
Artist & collection
Artist
Wilfrid R. Addey made spare, ink-and-watercolor snapshots of mid-century America. His sheet shows a late-1940s pin-up in a purple bikini with a lit cigarette, quick lines catching the pose and the glow of a club lamp.…
Cranes in a City
'Pin-up' wearing a purple bikini and smoking a cigarette
View across a bridge to a modern city
'Pin-up' girl with pink hair wearing a black lace slip
'Pin-up' girl speaking on the telephone with a letter in her hand
'Pin-up' wearing a loin cloth and jewellery
'Pin-up' with pink hair in brassiere, corset and black stockings
'Pin-up' girl as Eve with the serpent
