A rare early piece, this 12x21" gouache entitled "The Princeton Tiger" was done by John White Alexander. His works have been featured in U.S and European museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Library of Congress in Washington DC, some selling for as much as $530,500 at Christie's in the 1990s. When Alexander was 18, he worked at Harper's Weekly, which led to a lasting friendship with Mark Twain. From 1881-89 he was an instructor of drawing at Princeton University and also illustrated the cover of the first issue of "The Princeton Tiger," 3/7/1882. Signed by Alexander "J.W.A" in pencil, it shows an unnamed player in Princeton striped sweater holding an early style football. Page 270 of the Winter 2014 Princeton University Library Chronicle mentions this work exactly and states it was in the collection of Peter B. Rathbone; two pages later, this exact work is shown. Also includes addition board that states "Wedding of Peter Rathbone & Maria Kelleher, from Irina Reed, granddaughter of John White Alexander" - this confirms it was from the collection of Peter Rathbone when it was gifted to him on his wedding day in June 1977.