Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
A delightful pen & ink drawing of a flirty coquettish lass who goes by the name of “The Tango Girl”. In all ways this appears to be an artwork by Nell Brinkley though it is inscribed “Mae Howers”, not sure if this perhaps was the model? The image, style, handwriting and era all point to this being the work of Nell Brinkley.
Artist: After Nell Brinkley
Grapefruit Moon Gallery is ecstatic to offer Sultana, the original Louis F. Dow commissioned calendar pin-up painting by Henry Clive. Created in 1925, Sultana is in all regards the artist’s signature and defining creation, featuring an exotic nearly nude dreamy enchantress in an Art Deco Egyptian fantasy dreamscape. This enchanting artwork is littered with sophisticated touches such as the Moorish architecture which glimmers behind Sultana as she releases a white dove. This timeless image was again issued in 1941 as a mutoscope card with the title Lucky Dove–a vintage calendar print and mutoscope card are included in the sale.
Artist: Henry Clive
An original early 1930’s oil on canvas illustration, presumably of exotic silent movie film star, Anna May Wong. Henry Clive did a series of oil paintings titled Enchantresses of the Ages for Randolph Hearst’s American Weekly Magazine of ethnic glamour portrait studies.
Artist: Henry Clive
An epic and poignant large allegorical preparatory painting by Eugene Savage for the mural titled Armistice, which was created for and still resides in the front reception room at The Elks Veteran Memorial in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Artist: Eugene Savage
An inventive example of modern abstract art by the prolific pulp artist Virgil Finlay, signed and dated 1966 and titled on verso “Gambling Man”. Notations found on the back of the painting in Virgil Finlay’s handwriting read “The buttons of the jailer,”January 6, 1966, on reading Brian Moore re Caffey.)
Artist: Virgil Finlay
An original gouache cover painting for an unidentified issue of the notorious French publication “La Vie Parisienne”. The long running, humorous and racy magazine chronicled the exploits and sexual proclivities of sassy and free spirited French follies showgirls and their often dim witted suitors in risque, breezy, spicy pulp-like fashion. This original gouache painting is nicely double matted in an oval window in a fine antique ornate gesso gold frame behind glass.
Artist: Maurice Milliere
This refined pastel portrait of film legend Mary Astor by the American illustrator Rolf Armstrong dates to 1933, during the artist’s brief tenure as a Hollywood portraitist. The elegant and understated large format artwork reflects Armstrong’s desire to move away from the rigid demands and deadline driven style of his in demand career as America’s leading calendar artist. In 1931, Armstrong moved from New York to the West coast and started an independent fine art company “Armstrong Art Services.”
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A well-crafted, stylish, and eye-catching cover painting by the renowned pin-up calendar artist and commercial illustrator Fritz Willis. This was used as a cover for a Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies program in the early 1960s. In many regards Willis was the last of the great American pin-up artists; he brought pin-up imagery, poses and styles into the mod era and embraced changing ideals of femininity without being revisionist or nostalgic. In all regards, Willis shone in these yearly Ice Follies commissions as he excelled at costuming and seemed to enjoy capturing the evolving pop culture styles of the moment.
Artist: Fritz Willis
A beautiful original painting by the noted female artist and illustrator Edna Crompton presumably used as cover art for The Redbook Magazine.
Artist: Edna Crompton
This circa 1925 oil on canvas by F.R. Harper was used as calendar art by The American Art Works Calendar Company. For sale at Grapefruit Moon Gallery.
Artist: F. R. Harper
