What is the value of an old "original etching" called Dans les Artennes by Charlot with a triangle on the left lower edge containing the letters SZL. On the upper right corner, in very small print, is "Copyright 1935 Camilla Lucas 1935 - NY-USA" . This is a picture of a river flowing past a house on the right-hand side with trees on the left side and a windmill in the distance. A small wooden boat is partly visible on the bottom right of the etching. This is in the original frame and in good condition, and has been in our family for four generations.

I have a print entitles "Les Ormes" prob ably signed signed by the same artist Charlot. Here's what I found: Sidney Z. Lucas was an art entrepreneur who was responsible for a large number of prints which generate many questions to our shop as well as on various antique forums on the internet. Lucas' prints are those either issued by “Camilla Lucas” or the “Paris Etching Society.” His prints can also be identified by a circular or triangular symbol with the initials “SZL.” Some of the details are uncertain, but the general story of Lucas and his prints is as follows. [Addition Jan. 2010: Lucille Lucas, daughter of Sidney Lucas, has left a comment to this blog correcting some apparent errors in this blog and adding some extra information. Please make sure to read this comment... ](correction: Sidney Z Lucas' mother was Cornelia. His SISTER was Camille ( United States Federal Census 1930)

Beginning in the 1920s and lasting until the 1960s, Sidney Lucas owed The Old Print Center in New York and ran a gallery named the Camilla Lucas Gallery, named after his mother. He was in the business of both wholesale art publishing and retail art sales, dealing with modern and contemporary prints as well as reproductions of prints.

As another venture, Lucas formed the Paris Etching Society, where he traveled to Europe and commissioned prints by primarily French and Flemish artists. These were all original, hand-colored aquatints or etchings and they were usually signed, and sometimes titled, in pencil by the artists. Supposedly the runs for these prints were between 350 and 500. These prints can be identified either by a “Paris Etching Society” imprint or the initials “SZL” inside a triangle or circle.

These prints were sold out of Lucas’ gallery in New York, as well as galleries around the country. Most of the artists who produced prints for Lucas are of no particular note and indeed it is often impossible to read the signatures, or even if they are legible, to find out much about the artists. The prints typically have a “soft” feel to them and are colored with pastel shades. The fact that the artists are not of the first rank, that the prints were run off in fairly large runs, and that there are lots and lots of these prints floating around means that they have only “decorative” value. They are attractive, original prints, but generally not collector prints.


My name is Lucille Lucas, the daughter of Sidney Lucas. Your information about my father is not quite correct and there are some omissions such as his being the first North American publisher of original Salvador Dali lithographs. He also published many other artists including Redoute, Prevost and Barraband, Vlaminck and Utrillo which are all very crisp, clear and beautiful images. My mother Phyllis Lucas started The Old Print Center in the 1950's long after Sidney had his wholesale business in full swing. I am not aware of a gallery named after his sister Camilla but he did use that name in his publications. My mother's gallery did not close in the 1960's. Phyllis Lucas ran her gallery until the day she died and then her children kept it open. I have moved the inventory to Colorado under the name Lucille Lucas Gallery. My mother's gallery was The Old Print Center Phyllis Lucas Gallery. For more information please refer to my web site lucillelucasgallery.com We do not do appraisals for free so please do not request information about my fathers publications. Everyone is welcome to read our history and look over our inventory. We get a lot of requests and simply do not have the staff to work on our web site and reply to so many questions.
Mr. Lane I would appreciate your making some corrections to your commentary. I welcome your correspondence with me if you are inclined.