Original artwork for a daily Peanuts strip, ink on artist’s cardstock, 27 x 6, January 21, 1971, signed vertically in the last panel, “Schulz.” The strip depicts Charlie Brown visiting Lucy’s “psychiatric help” booth, and, in a rare moment of triumph, turning the tables on her in the final frame with her own famous line, “Five cents, please!” Lucy’s booth, modeled after the lemonade stands more typically associated with childhood, became the setting for scores of memorable Peanuts strips. Though Linus was the first character “on the couch,” Lucy would go on to work her Freudian magic on Schroeder, Frieda, Lucy, Snoopy, and, of course, Charlie Brown. Though her advice rarely proved useful, the strip’s “booth” episodes amusingly demonstrated Schulz’s skill at incorporating adult themes into a world where the presence of parents (or of any grown-ups) was implied rather than shown. Apart from the core issue of condition, the desirability of Schulz’s original strips among collectors hinges largely on the sheer “Peanuts-ness” of the subject matter. Consequently, examples featuring such iconic themes and settings as the psychiatric booth, the Great Pumpkin, and the Flying Ace have proven themselves time and again to be the most coveted and avidly sought examples of original Peanuts artwork. Matted and framed to an overall size of 32 x 10.5. In very fine condition. R&R COA.
