Lost Art Found: Discovering 'Dorothy & the Wizard'

​John R. Neill’s watercolor illustrations for Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz are some of the most beautiful created for the Oz book series. Until recently, it was believed that none of the original artwork for the book survived, but in one of the Lost Art of Oz project’s most exciting discoveries, several spectacular examples have recently come to light, and we can thank one of the “Wizards” of book publisher Reilly and Lee for their preservation.

Frank J. O'Donnell was born in Chicago on May 1, 1892. After attending DePaul University, he was a manager with the Clyde W. Riley Advertising System before becoming the Reilly & Lee Company's director of manufacturing in 1918. O'Donnell was promoted to secretary of the firm in 1929. Three years later, when Frank K. Reilly died, O'Donnell succeeded him as president of Reilly & Lee.

O’Donnell and his wife, Louise shared a summer home with their daughters, the walls of which were decorated with original John R. Neill art from the Reilly and Lee archives. Among the treasures were illustrations from Peter and the Princess, The Patchwork Girl of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz and 5 watercolor illustrations for Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz.

In 1956, Reilly and Lee published their first edition of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. For this edition, artist Dale Ulrey created entirely new artwork. Ulrey chose Frank O’Donnell as the model for the character of the Wizard, and featured him prominently on the edition’s dust jacket.

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When the Henry Regnery Company acquired Reilly & Lee in 1959, O'Donnell retired. Even so, he retained an office that he would sometimes visit. O'Donnell died at age 70 on November 27, 1962, 

Lost Art of Oz, Founder Brady Schwind was honored to connect with Louise O’Donnell’s family who graciously shared images of the artwork they continue to cherish. With their kind permission, we are thrilled to share some of these fantastic treasures.

Special thanks to Atticus Gannaway and Mark Terry for their contributions to this article.