A Yachting Champion by F. Earl Christy
This is a considerably sized oil on illustration board painting date to c. 1910–1915. Created by F. Earl Christy for American Art Works in Coshocton, OH, this was published as calendar art. An example of this painting as a published print is shown above and is included in the sale of this painting.
Titled, “Yachting”, this portrait of an early, rosy-cheeked pin-up girl showcases the breezy beauty of a young, blue-eyed sailor sweetie as she proudly shows off her aptitude for skimming the open waters with a winners cup trophy.
This illustration is in pristine condition and is handsomely framed under glass and is ready to hang and enjoy in any home.
This illustration comes from the collection of esteemed illustration art collector Norman Platnick.
About the artist: Earl Christy
F. Earl Christy was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1882. The “F” is believed to stand for “Frederic”. At 17, he painted originals for the Boardwalk Atlantic City Picture company, with many of his early works published by the J. Hoover and Sons Calendar Company of Philadelphia. He attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Arts from 1905-1907.
Christy produced dozens of magazine covers including; Dell Publishing Company for Modern Romances, Modern Screen and Radio Stars, Ainslee’s magazine, American Magazine, Sunday Magazine of the New York Times, Collier’s, Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly, Liberty Magazine, McClure’s Photoplay Magazine, and Puck Magazine. He also created illustrations for many calendar prints, ink blotters, postcards and Princess Pat Cosmetic’s advertisements. Most of his images were of beautiful girls primarily playing sports such as basketball, golf and tennis. Earl Christy never married and lived most of his life with one or both of his sisters. He passed away on Long Island New York in 1961.
The Legacy of Norman Platnick
In his New York Times obituary, Norman Platnick’s son Will said that his father had three passions in life, his wife Nancy, spiders, and collecting.
Few individuals have the chance to leave a mark like Norm’s in even one field, let alone two. But Norm managed to be both a celebrated scientist, and one of the most influential lay historians of illustration art.
Under his imprint Enchantment Ink, Norm researched, wrote, and published collectors guides to artists like Rolf Armstrong and Earl Christy. We at Grapefruit Moon Gallery rely on these books in our work, and they are now all freely available as PDFs through the Enchantment Ink website.
Norm’s expertise was a gift, his friendship was a treasure, and his legacy is immeasurable. He is missed.
