The Grand Age of American Illustration was at its peak after the turn of the century in the early 1900s. The printing industry with its technological advancements and the American Industrial Revolution made for a multicolor offset printing process that was fast, affordable, and flat-out glorious in print. Cover artists were much in demand, earned lavish salaries and often became household names and stars in their own right. The distinction between fine art and "art for commerce" was blurred and artists like Alphonse Mucha, Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell, and countless others excelled in both realms. These often lost original paintings are available exclusively via Grapefruit Moon Gallery.

La Coquette Alberto Vargas	Princess Pat Flapper Girl F. Earl Christy

This original 1942 oil-on-board artwork by well listed female artist Bettina Steinke was commissioned for a United States Government WWII poster titled "Keep 'Em Flying". The image also became popular as a calendar art print for The Louis F. Dow calendar company during the years of World War II and the immediate post-war period. The image became one of the enduring pictures of a changing America during wartime, featuring a victory girl nurse and armed forces servicemen working together to protect the nation.

A whimsical art deco original gouache painting titled "La Coquette" by Alberto Vargas. An early work by the Peruvian born pin-up legend exploring the Commedia dell'arte revival that took hold around 1915, the cast of characters in this boldly colored and delightful Edwardian scene features the requisite maiden courted by a Harlequin with slapstick at his side as her guardian looks on in horror. Vargas brings a unique spin to this popular genre and his artistic mastery is apparent even at this early date. This was acquired by Charles Martignette in 1989 from the Vargas estate - the painting is accompanied by a series of Kodak color photographs (dated June 1989) taken by Martignette of this painting, also included are several color photographs of the artist and Martignette taken shortly before Vargas' death in 1982.

A crisply rendered jazz-age take on Adam & Eve and temptation within The Garden of Eden; this was created for the important 1932 Random House hardcover edition of George Gershwin's Song-Book. This gouache painting illustrated the 1926 Gershwin song "Do Do Do" from the musical "Oh Kay". A recent New York City Christie's auction for a leather bound signed and numbered first edition of the songbook signed by both Alajalov and Gershwin brought $4207.00 with buyers premiums illustrating the significance and historic beauty of this unique pairing of talents.

"Racing the Sun" is a rare surviving oil on stretched canvas painting by Ruehl Frederick Heckman, created for the Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Company. During the 1930s Heckman executed a series of five paintings for this storied calendar company, all featuring bold aviation progress and industrial themes. These works ponder the collision of the industrial revolution's streamlined machine age aesthetic with previous generations traditional and more pastoral ways.

An inspired and inventive take on the biblical epic of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Blaine was a unique talent, and counter culture avant-garde artist who worked outside of the confines of the mainstream. A life-long bohemian, his work became increasingly sexual and marginalized from the norm of illustration art, and as time went on he counted the magician Dunninger among his closest friends, and most important patrons. His eerie and erotic style bore witness to his fascination with dark arts.

A large, signed and dated oil on canvas by noted and prolific Golden age illustrator Ralph Pallen Coleman. The work was commissioned for a 2 page spread in the November 1933 edition of Redbook Magazine, illustrating the Military-themed melodrama "Rank and File" by Charles L. Clifford and Mary C. McCall, Jr. The published edition of Redbook is included in the sale and the painting is nicely framed and ready to hang.

This original oil painting is one of three estate finds by the artist "Eyre" which was possibly a pseudonym for the east coast 1920s - 30s Illustrator Edward Eggleston. Though this example is unsigned, it was undoubtedly created by the same hand as the two signed Eyre pieces, and all three strongly resemble the work of Eggleston, who created several similar flapper girl seaside bathing beauty imagery for Atlantic City travel posters. The "EYRE" signature (visible in the other examples offered by the gallery) is stylistically similar to Eggleston's signature and the color palette is reminiscent as well. This is a beautiful painting and is framed in an ornate period art deco frame matted behind glass.

A finely executed dated 1927 pen & ink illustration on board by Cardwell Higgins with inventive art deco style. A Persian attired Orientalist showgirl is depicted in a burlesque vaudeville-era Ziegfeld Follies inspired theatrical production. The work recalls the erotic and stylized pen & ink works of British artist Aubrey Beardsley.

This large Mayan themed stylized gouache illustration on board was created as a menu design and brochure cover for Rockefeller Center's innovative "Restaurant Mayan" 16 West 51st. Street; New York. A brochure printed for the opening of the restaurant which shows Higgins at work painting mural panels for the fabulous art deco interior is included in the sale. This large gouache painting is matted and framed behind glass and initialed by the artist.

An early cover pastel by Rolf Armstrong that served as the cover for The January 1916 issue of "American Magazine" the model was Betty Lester. While Armstrong is best known today as "The Father of America Pin-up", he created hundreds of covers for American magazines with titles as diverse as Photoplay, College Humor, The Saturday Evening Post and American Magazine. Armstrong especially excelled at pastel portraiture he was able to capture the feminine qualities of the sitter in a deeply revealing and impacting manner. Consequently his cover portraiture was much in demand and news stands in the 1920s and 30s would be graced with monthly installments of the always glamorous and fashionable "Armstrong Girl". Work is beautifully matted and framed and lined behind glass.