Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
Risqué and fetching maidens have always been popular artistic subjects and the perfect vehicle to advertise just about any product, add allure to any magazine, or brighten any calendar. In the 1930s, Rolf Armstrong and Billy Devorss’s Art Deco sophisticates were everyone’s dream girl. During World War II, George Petty and Alberto Vargas created patriotic lithe modernist heartbreakers for the pages of Esquire Magazine to keep servicemen company, and soon there was a calendar girl for every taste--whether you preferred the girl next door or the one from the wrong side of the tracks. In post-war America, the youthful spirit personified by Earl Moran’s cheesecake depictions of Marilyn Monroe reigned, and pin up and glamour art remained unflaggingly popular. Today, original pin up and glamour art is more coveted by collectors than ever, and its influence on contemporary fashion, art, and culture is everywhere.
The Bashful Stripper – A Beauty Parade Cover Girl by Peter Driben Clad in a blue and green striped, flesh-baring one piece costume and embroidered silk stockings, this shapely, blonde ecdysiast casts a come-hither gaze and inviting smile from underneath her unkempt golden locks that have fallen out of their pigtails. With hands rested on […]
Artist: Peter Driben
[wp_paypal button=”buynow” name=”Ship Shape by K.O. Munson” amount=”4500.00″ 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 Ship-Shape Sweetheart by K.O. Munson Attired in a green bikini and a matching colored scarf tied around her wavy, red hair, this brick-topped bombshell is all smiles as she stretches her arms above her head during a relaxing, sunny day […]
Artist: K. O. Munson
Alluring Redhead Adores Her Beauty Clad in black lingerie that clings to her voluptuous figure and, in some places, is bursting at the seams, this luscious, redheaded pin-up girl sits on the floor in front of a makeup case and holds a mirror in her hand, which she uses to admire her perfectly painted face. […]
Artist: Howard Connolly
The Party Line by Irene Patten With dazzling blue eyes, rosy apple cheeks, and a megawatt smile, this languorous, copper-topped glamour girl is reposed on a chaise lounge in front of a telephone waiting for her beau to call in “The Party Line”, a pastel illustration by female pin-up artist and illustrator Irene Patten. Along […]
Artist: Irene Patten
Art Nouveau Moon Goddess by James Ross Bryson This is a rare surviving pastel by the prolific and inventive early pin-up artist James Ross Bryson. Bryson defined Art Nouveau feminine beauty with his Edwardian views of corseted and lavishly attired, erotic, and bold anti-Victorian maidens. An early star staff artist for the Thomas D. Murphy […]
Artist: J. Ross Bryson
Rainbow Jewel Flowers This is a fun, c. 1950, unpublished pastel illustration by the Father of American Pin-Up, Rolf Armstrong. This well-rendered whimsical sketch features the artist’s muse and lifelong friend Jewel Flowers in an ethereal gown bursting with a kaleidoscope of rainbow colors. Armstrong created this pastel for Flowers as a gift and it […]
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
Adorable Jewel Flowers This is a beautiful, c. 1950, unpublished pastel illustration by the Father of American Pin-Up, Rolf Armstrong. This well-rendered sketch features the artist’s muse and lifelong friend Jewel Flowers wearing a glamorous yellow gown and her mega-watt beaming smile. The pose and layout of this sketch bears a resemblance to Armstrong’s published […]
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
Rolf Armstrong’s Final Brown & Bigelow Calendar Art This is an absolutely adorable pastel thumbnail sketch by the Father of American Pin-Up, Rolf Armstrong. Featuring the artist’s muse and lifelong friend Jewel Flowers, this pastel preliminary sketch would become the published calendar art titled “All Smiles”, which was Armstrong’s last commissioned work for Brown & […]
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
Bunny Yeager and Bettie Page: A Pin-Up Match Made in Miami Bunny Yeager, the pre-eminent female pin-up photographer of the 20th century took this photograph of pin-up queen Bettie Page in her iconic “Jungle Bettie” animal print costume and posed with driftwood on a beach while shooting at Africa U.S.A., in Boca Raton, Florida. This […]
Artist: Bunny Yeager
[wp_paypal button=”buynow” name=”Dondi Penn Boudoir Portrait by Bunny Yeager” amount=”2250.00″ 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”] An Intimate Portrait of Marci Lane by Bunny Yeager Bunny Yeager, the pre-eminent female pin-up photographer of the 20th century took this sensual portrait of model Marci Lane. Completely nude and casually curled up on a midcentury modern couch, […]
Artist: Bunny Yeager
