Lithograph by Benton Spruance signed in the lower right and numbered 9/26 in the lower left. It is titled "Girl with Cigarette" with label verso from Mellon Galleries in Philadelphia. Benton Spruance, internationally known artist and a pioneer in color lithography is a native of Philadelphia. While attending architectural classes at the University of Pennsylvania he developed an interest in graphic sketching, which eventually led him to win a competitive scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Over the years he was a recipient of a long list of awards and fellowships including two Cresson Scholarships to travel in Europe and two Guggenheim grants. In 1967 the Philadelphia College of Art held a special retrospective exhibition of his lithographs in honor of his "distinguished achievement as an artist and as a member of their faculty." During his long career Mr. Spruance had served for many years on the Philadelphia Art Commission, was the chairman of the Arts Department of Beaver College, Jenkintown, and the chairman of the Printmaking Department of the Philadelphia College of Art. His art is in the collections of the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, the New York Public Library, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Carnegie Institute. Benton Spruance died on November 7, 1967 at the age of 63. Overall size: 21 1/4 x 18 3/4 in. Sight size: 14 1/4 x 11 3/4 in. Please note that all sales are final. No refunds will be given under any circumstances.