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.
This original late 1940s-early 1950s pin-up sketch drawing is attributed to Gil Elvgren and was originally purchased from the artist’s son. Years ago, this was acquired by our colleague Rick Martin, author of the reference guide Vintage Illustration, and full provenance history comes with purchase. The work is unsigned, and as such can only be […]
Artist: Attributed to Gil Elvgren
A patriotic red, white and blue in color 1940s WWII era original pin-up painting by the prolific calendar artist Walt Otto. A darling depiction of a curvy brunette pin-up girl bowling, in sexy Victory Girl attire. Otto made a career of creating the active type pin-up, his paintings appeared twice as covers for the Saturday […]
Artist: Walt Otto
An enchanting and one of a kind original watercolor by my favorite illustrator, Henry Clive. Given as a Christmas present in 1928. Inscribed “Dear old Art — Be good and you’ll be eccentric.” Dated “Hollywood-Christmas 1928.” Watercolor mimics a published Smart Set cover. I will include color copy of the published cover with sale.
Artist: Henry Clive
A classic situational cheesecake pin up mishap unfolds in this original Louis F. Dow calendar painting by the Chicago area artist Charles Showalter titled “High & Dry.” The lovely nude is caught, high, and perhaps now dry after removing her clothes. Grapefruit Moon Gallery recently acquired this and several other Louis F. Dow published calendar […]
Artist: Charles Showalter
An unlikely red headed pin up girl fencing in her lingerie is the star attraction of this early rare surviving Gil Elvgren original pin up painting titled “Foil Proof.” Not sure lingerie offers the best protection during a sword fight, but this luscious lady is sure a treat for the eyes. Created for the Louis […]
Artist: Gil Elvgren
An original oil painting by Earl Moran for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company used as a March 1947 calendar girl with caption that read “My teacher says I’m quite advanced – For one so young in years. And that the answers that I know – Should vanish all my fears.” This image also appeared […]
Artist: Earl Moran
This pin up bathing beauty original painting was created by T J Kuck. It is an extremely well done oil painting of a pretty girl in a swimsuit on the beach, this would appear to date to the 1960s. T. J. Kuck, also known as Ted Kuck, worked as an artist for the Brown and […]
Artist: T. J. Kuck
An unabashedly pure cheesecake situational pin up painting by Harry Ekman likely for The Shaw-Barton Calendar Company of Coshocton, Ohio. In this summertime sizzling scene, a pin up dream–clad only in the skimpiest negligee–finds herself at the fuse-box. The combination of the model’s attempt to keep cool with only a fan and her revealing see […]
Artist: Harry Ekman
This collection of three published Brown & Bigelow calendar girl paintings from 1950 offers a mid-century modernist Parisian take on classic pin up art. We believe the artist to be Jean-Gabriel Domergue who was active at the time in France, creating breezy coquettish often times topless hatted sophisticates. These are signed “Ioxia of Paris” we […]
Artist: Attributed to Domergue
This remarkable image features a nude reclining maiden by one of our favorite Golden Age illustrators W.T. Benda. A dazzling composition, an intricate and technically adept graphite drawing with silver glittery paint highlighting the subject’s hair and face. Signed lower right and beautifully framed and silk matted behind glass in a hand carved gold leafed […]
Artist: Wladyslaw Benda
