Christmas Puck

Snow falls across a woman in a wide black hat crowned with a red plume, her shoulders wrapped in dark fur, a string of coral at her throat and a sprig of mistletoe in her gloved hand. The background is a warm brown speckled with white flakes; the black of her furs takes up half the frame. W. E. Hill paints her close and smiling, more portrait than cartoon. CHRISTMAS PUCK runs across the top, the initials boxed in the house style. Hill was young here and would later find fame with his puzzle-picture drawings, but the confident handling of black on brown, and that single hot red accent, already shows a strong sense of design. The mistletoe is invitation; the rest is fashion plate.