Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
At the turn of the 20th century, Industrial Revolution inventions brought technological advancements to printmaking that ushered in a Golden Age of American illustration. Publishers and calendar companies developed new techniques for producing multi-color offset lithographs that were fast, affordable, and flat-out glorious to view, blurring the distinction between fine art and "art for commerce." The best examples by the finest commercial illustrators were revered by the public, and today are beloved by collectors.
Nestled in a quiet glen surrounded by tall, lean yet sturdy trees, flowering saplings, and a murmuring brook sits a log cabin at the end of a dirt path. A blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds tops off this picturesque scene of bucolic beauty. It is a scene that conjures up feelings of bygone times […]
Artist: Hy Whitroy
“I came like water and like wind I go,” reads the verse which inspired this wonderful signed gouache illustration by Willy Pogany, one of our favorite Golden age artists. The image shows a nude maiden on a serene ledge in contemplation of the leaves blowing in the breeze. This appearedas an illustration for the 1942 […]
Artist: Willy Pogany
[wp_paypal button=”buynow” name=”Portrait Of Norma Shearer by Charles Sheldon” amount=”2500.00″ no_shipping=”2″ quantity=”1″ return=”https://grapefruitmoongallery.com/thank-you-for-your-order” cancel_return=”https://grapefruitmoongallery.com/your-order-was-not-processed” button_image=”https://grapefruitmoongallery.com/wp-content/buy-now.png” target=”blank”] This stylized, fashionable pastel portrait of Hollywood film legend Norma Shearer by the prolific American illustrator Charles Sheldon shows off the sophistication the actress became known for in her pre-code appearances in films like The Divorcee. Sheldon was a leading illustrator of 1920s […]
Artist: Charles Sheldon
This large, colorful, and bustling painting by the prolific American artist Louis Glanzman appeared in the April 26, 1952 issue of Collier’s magazine, illustrating “Honkytonk – U.S.A.” by William Slocum. In this scathing analysis, the honkytonk is described in great and scandalous detail as a lawless den of sin, whose unscrupulous owners prey on male weakness, hiring low-class strippers […]
Artist: Louis Glanzman
This 1926 pastel by Cardwell Higgens was created for an exhibitor’s book produced by Paramount Pictures to promote their silent film star Florence Vidor.
Artist: Cardwell Higgins
This colorful and vibrant gouache painting from artist & illustrator James Bingham captures the beauty and flurry of activity in a small, coastal Mexican town. Villagers are pictured carrying out their daily tasks, seen bringing baskets of goods into town and stopping at the local shops that dot the cliffside road. The hustle & bustle […]
Artist: James Bingham
[wp_paypal button=”buynow” name=”Dancer And Pierrot by Charles Martin” amount=”3000.00″ no_shipping=”2″ quantity=”1″ return=”https://grapefruitmoongallery.com/thank-you-for-your-order” cancel_return=”https://grapefruitmoongallery.com/your-order-was-not-processed” button_image=”https://grapefruitmoongallery.com/wp-content/buy-now.png” target=”blank”] A wonderful and rare surviving cover painting by the American artist Charles Martin (1848 – 1934), who was an active illustrator and editorial cartoonist on the East Coast in the early 20th century. This mixed medium illustration appeared as the cover […]
Artist: Charles Martin
A skillfully executed interior illustration for a serialized story by Pearl S. Buck titled China Gold which ran in Collier’s Magazine from February 7-April 18, 1942. Caption reads: ” Father Valerian came out from the chapel at once and led the wounded men to the hospital “. A large crisply-rendered oil on canvas mounted on board. Martha Sawyers artwork is in the Frank Gehry-designed Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis.
Artist: Martha Sawyers
A richly layered painting by the renowned early 20th century American Illustrator Arthur Ignatius Keller, depicting the climactic romantic scene from Emerson Hough’s bestselling 1909 novel 54-40 or Fight. Keller was a prominent artist whose work was sought after by many of the leading authors of the day. He was known for his mastery of light, texture and feeling, and this rare frontispiece painting displays his stunning prowess and talent.
Artist: Arthur Keller
This large and luminous original watercolor painting by the famous Belgian painter Frantz Charlet dates to the turn of the 20th centuty and features a serene pastoral mother and child figural scene. Charlet, a student of the Acadeémie de Bruxelles and l’Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris, known for his portraiture, landscape and genre work. Along with a group of ten colleagues, Charlet founded Les XX in October 1883.
Artist: Frantz Charlet
