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Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

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Sorry, It's Sold

The Doctor Said I Needed Glasses

Artist:Earl Moran
Date:1945
Medium:Pastel on Illustration Board
Dimensions:Sight size 18 1/2" x 23 1/2 Framed 22" by 27"
Condition:Excellent
Original Use:Calendar Art for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company
Price: Sale Pending
Full view
The artist’s signature lower right

Earl Moran created this iconic published pin-up pastel for Brown and Bigelow’s 1946 calendar line.  It was published with the title “The Doctor Said I Needed Glasses”. The image shows a pretty blonde, enjoying a libation in a cordial glass, her inviting smile and legs on full display. This fresh-to-the-market original pastel is in a pristine state of conservation and retains the original frame. The work is properly lined with a spacer to keep the pastel away from the glass. The back is unopened and has a number of Brown & Bigelow inventory labels and notations. This is an exciting find and a really fun example of Earl Moran’s pin-up mastery. This image also appeared as a mutoscope card and as a page in the 12 month 1948 Brown & Bigelow Calendar titled “Nifty Numbers” with the text:

Here’s looking at you with a toast/My numbers worth selection/If the busy signal doesn’t buzz/You’ve got the right connection.

Detail
Framed under glass view, original frame and backing
The image as it appeared in the 1948 -12 page calendar “Nifty Numbers”

Though Earl Moran had been a national celebrity since 1940 when LIFE magazine featured his work in an extensive feature titled “Speaking of Pictures,” the late 1940s are today considered the most interesting of Moran’s career. The artist moved to Hollywood in 1946 where he quickly began working with a young Blue Book model named Norma Jeane, who would go onto stardom as Marilyn Monroe. The pair worked together often in the years between 1946-1950 and their association has kept Moran’s luminous artworks in the public eye to this day.  Earl Moran was one of the century’s most important pin-up artists and a true star in the illustration world. This iconic defining example has it all.

Verso view
Verso Brown & Bigelow notations

The Doctor Said I Needed Glasses

Artist: Earl Moran
Price:  Sale Pending

Filed Under: Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1940s, blonde, Brown & Bigelow, Calendar, Earl Moran, Golden Age, illustration, original calendar art, original illustration art, pin up
Added to Gallery: October 28, 2019

 

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    About Grapefruit Moon Gallery

    Grapefruit Moon Gallery, based in Minneapolis MN, specializes in vintage pin up and original illustration art.  We are the proud home of the Bunny Yeager archives.

    Since 2003, Grapefruit Moon Gallery has been a leading dealer of exclusive original paintings by Gil Elvgren, Alberto Vargas, Earl Moran, Rolf Armstrong and Henry Clive, as well as vintage photographs, prints, and period decorative arts in ceramic and metal.

    All artworks featured are original, accurately represented, and guaranteed to be the work of the named artist.

    Interested buyers may view pieces by appointment and we are happy to answer any questions you may have. [Contact Us]

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