In The Bottom Of My Garden (F. & S. IV.102)
In The Bottom Of My Garden (F. & S. IV.102)
Unsigned Print
Andy Warhol
28 x 22cm, Lithograph, 1956
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Meaning & Analysis
Andy Warhol's In The Bottom Of My Garden (F. & S. IV.102) from 1956 is an unsigned lithograph from his early illustrated artist's book In The Bottom Of My Garden. Produced during his career as a commercial illustrator in New York, the work belongs to a collection of whimsical images featuring fairies, cherubs and fantastical garden scenes. Its playful subject matter and expressive illustrative style reveal an early aspect of Warhol's artistic practice, preceding the celebrity portraits and consumer imagery that would establish his reputation as a leading figure of Pop Art.
Created in 1956, Andy Warhol's In The Bottom Of My Garden (F. & S. IV.102) belongs to his illustrated artist's book of the same name, a collection of fantastical imagery produced during his successful career as a commercial illustrator in New York. The In The Bottom Of My Garden series reflects Warhol's early interest in decorative drawing, fantasy and the possibilities of reproducing handmade imagery through printmaking.
The wider series features fairies, cherubs and botanical motifs, rendered through the irregular, expressive outlines characteristic of Warhol's early illustrations. Drawing on the visual language of children's books and fairy tales, these compositions combine playful imagery with occasional suggestive undertones. The original publication was produced using offset lithography, with selected impressions individually coloured in watercolour, introducing variation between copies.
The project also reflects Warhol's creative relationship with his mother, Julia Warhola, whose distinctive calligraphy appeared in the publication. Its combination of imaginative subject matter, illustration and mechanical reproduction offers an insight into Warhol's artistic development during the 1950s. Long before his celebrated screenprints of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell's Soup Cans, Warhol was already exploring the relationship between handmade imagery and reproducible art.
