Rex Brasher accomplished his goal of painting every known species of bird in North America by the mid-1920s. He found himself at loose ends, and his collaborator Katherine Louise Marie Brasher (known as Marie) suggested that he write a book. Secrets of the Friendly Woods was published in 1926 and eventually sold some 20,000 copies, bringing much needed income to the artist. An article by M. K. Wisehart in American Magazine entitled “The Birdman of Kent” increased Rex's fame.
That summer many visitors came to see a “character.” Rex did not disappoint. He had made many birdhouses, woodpecker door knockers, garden markers, and an ingenious bird bath for the garden. His 874 paintings were all over the house. Most people left having purchased a door knocker or garden marker, thus providing some income for the household, but more important, with a story to tell about this reclusive genius living in the woods with his bird paintings.
Something had to be done about the paintings, and Rex and Marie tried to find a publisher, but the cost of color reproductions was prohibitive and the risk of failure was too high. After nine rejections, Rex decided to get the paintings reproduced in black and white and do the coloring himself. He persuaded Marie and her brother Philip that it would be possible to color the prints by cutting stencils and using an air brush. Now they needed to find a printer.
Again they met nothing but rejection. A printer from New York wanted $10,000 up front and a 15% royalty on gross sales. Further, he could deliver only about six prints a month! Serious discussion of cost estimates ensued, and they realized that their initial idea of 500 sets was unrealistic, so they agreed to produce only 100. When the printer returned copies of six of Rex's paintings, they were totally unacceptable, so they knew they had to look elsewhere.
Fortuitously, a referral from a local newspaper brought them to Meriden Gravure in Meriden, CT. This company was able to reproduce the painting, preserving the tonal values of the original with shades of gray. After purchasing a tank of compressed air and new air brushes, Rex set about learning how to use them. He found that he needed more than three stencils—five for most paintings and more for the most intricate. He had to learn how to blend the colors and how to prevent overspray by weighting the corners of the print.
He was confident that he could overcome these issues, but the paper was of paramount importance. His friend Otis Caldwell introduced Rex to Roy Kellogg, who owned a paper mill that produced fine paper for artists. Kellogg offered to produce a rag content paper of the right weight with a white purity that would never turn yellow with age. Meriden Gravure was willing to work with Kellogg and to use that paper, so now the question was the cost.
Amazingly, the president of Meriden Gravure, Parker Allen, offered to make prints of all the paintings at no cost to Rex, to be paid as the books were sold. There was no contract, and the deal was sealed with a handshake. Further, Allen offered to make 500 copies of each painting, rather than 100, in case of spoilage or requiring more of certain subjects. (One of the arguments made at the time the State of Connecticut purchased the original paintings was that those extra prints could be donated to every school in Connecticut, and many were.)
Neither Rex, Phil, nor Marie knew anything about the publishing business, but they were filled with hope. They formed a company, Rex Brasher Associates, and tried to figure out how much money they needed to launch the project. The first problem was where to store the prints. A complete renovation of a small barn on the property was required, along with steel shelving to store the prints, at a cost of nearly $5,000. They agreed that Phil would go to New York to try to raise $10,000 in seed money. Birds and Trees was to be sold by subscription only. Each subscriber would receive each volume as it was completed at a cost of $100 per volume. They decided to start with the twelfth volume in the set, the thrushes, as being the most visually pleasing. Rex and Marie began working on the “Herald,” a prospectus which was to be sent to 300 wealthy potential subscribers. A problem arose when the printer wanted $1,000 to print it, and the partners had only $700 in the bank. Rex was able to sell two paintings for $500 apiece to the wealthy friend of a friend. (From the time he completed his collection to the time he began work on the prints, Rex made and sold other paintings, but he kept his 874 painting collection intact.)
During the summer of 1929, subscriptions came in, allowing the partners to begin work. Rex was in charge of the painting, Marie the descriptions, and Phil the sales. Marie’s contribution was invaluable. She researched all the scientific information about each bird, assembled and copied Rex’s notes about each one, and typed them flawlessly before they were sent to the printer. She had to keep up with Rex's painting so that each bound volume would include the text as well as the print. Phil secured the covers. When the prints arrived from Meriden Gravure, they were stacked in the barn by number. The finished prints, along with the text for each bird, were bound into the volumes and shipped to the subscribers. The partners found someone to cook the meals and relieve Marie of household duties. Local people were hired to assist with painting some of the backgrounds, but otherwise Rex completed all the hand-coloring.
Of the 95 original subscribers, about 30 cancelled after the Stock Market Crash of October 1929, and Phil had to work hard to find other buyers. Some of the prints were sold separately, and he worked to place articles about Rex in various publications and examples of Rex’s work before the public. At one point the partners realized that they were losing money with every shipment, and that the price of $100 per volume did not meet their costs. Some larger prints were made, and these were hand-painted by Rex, not using the air brush technique. These were sold for $100 each and helped provide operating money.
In 1932, after three long years of hard work, worry, and effort, the monumental work was finished. Rex had produced some 90,000 prints, and approximately 75 completed twelve-volume sets.
Source: Milton E. Brasher, Rex Brasher: Painter of Birds. New York: Rowman and Littlefield, 1960.
