RED SKELTON Limited Edition CANVAS LITHOGRAPH / 809 of 5000 / SIGNED With COA

Red Skelton was born in Indiana in 1913 and developed a flair for comedy. At age 10 he joined a traveling ‘medicine show’ which led to vaudeville which then led to radio appearances. In 1951, he got his own television show which won him his first Emmy. Red’s TV show lasted until 1971 after which he devoted his time to personal appearances and his paintings. Red began painting clowns in 1946 but did not show them to anyone but friends and family until the mid 60’s. He painted mostly himself as his most famous character ‘Freddie the Freeloader’. They were so popular that he started selling lithographs laid on canvas through certified art dealers. At the time of his death in 1997, these signed & hand-numbered lithos stopped being made available. This 8x10 inch canvas lithograph is entitled ‘Freddie The Freeloader’ and comes in a custom-made frame measuring approximately 12.5 x 14.5 inches. Red personally embellished each litho with varnish to give it a hand-painted look then signed and numbered them on the back - this one is 809/5000. The canvas lithograph is from circa 1980 and has been in one family’s possession for the last 45 years. The litho and original frame are both in great condition except for a small ding on the frame below the nameplate (see photo). ‘Freddie The Freeloader’ comes with its original Certificate of Authenticity which features another original signature of Red Skelton.