Frank Earle Schoonover (American, 1877-1972) Where is the Key, Sola?, A Princess of Mars book interior, 1917 Oil on canvas 34 x 25 inches (86.4 x 63.5 cm) Signed and dated lower left: F. E. Schoonover / '17 From the Collection of Robert "Bob" Barrett The 1917 publication of A Princess of Mars marks the first time Edgar Rice Burroughs's genre defining saga would appear in book form. With full color illustrations by Frank Schoonover, a Brandywine artist who was already an established star of what today is known as the Golden Age of Illustration, the publication announced that the incredible adventures of John Carter and Dejah Thoris made for credible literature. It stands as a historically significant moment in the development of science fiction as a genre, and the responsibility to treat the imagined landscapes of Barsoom with the same care and rigor that he gave to his images of the American frontier is one that Schoonover took seriously. As part of his work, Schoonover created voluminous sketches and an encyclopedia of Martian costuming, and would later reflect "The story of life on Mars is purely imaginative, but it proceeds with the ring of truth... There is nothing mystic about this." Frank Schoonover's Burroughs works are among the most rare and desirable works for both fans of the artist and author. Speaking to the significance of this work, in a 1985 letter to John Schoonover, son of the artist, legendary collector Bob Barrett writes "I still can't believe that I am going to have this beautiful painting in my collection. I can truthfully say that this painting will be the cornerstone of my ERB artist collection." The artwork is published on page 142 of A Princess of Mars (A.C. McClurg, 1917) as a full-page color plate with the caption "Where is the Key, Sola?" It appears as figure 817 in the Frank E. Schoonover- Catalogue Raisonné Vol. I by John Schoonover, Louise Schoonover Smith, and Lee Ann Dean (Oak Knoll Press, 2009). The work is accompanied a hand signed letter from the artist to Vern Coriell, founder of Burroughs Bibliophiles who pioneered Edgar Rice Burroughs fandom which speaks directly to its treasured status among Burroughs collectors. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

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Framed Dimensions 40.5 X 31 Inches