Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
Welcome to Grapefruit Moon Gallery. Here you will find an archived visual history of past sales. Pretty to look at, some are quite old; but when they're in here, consider them sold!
A behind-the-scenes look at a Hollywood dramatization of space travelers exploring the surface of the moon, this this gouache cover painting by Ed Lafferty appeared on the cover of the May, 1950 edition of Popular Mechanics. The scene illustrates an interior story that investigates how close scientists were in 1950 to manned space flight and dissects the accuracy (or lack thereof) of Pal Productions film “Destination Moon.”
Artist: Ed Lafferty
Price: Sold
World War II Home Front Honey by Rolf Armstrong Widely considered “The Father of American Pin-Up”, Rolf Armstrong‘s luminous portraits of famous actresses and idealized girls-next-door made him one of the highest paid commercial artists in America; his pictures are noted for their grace, vibrancy, and indescribable lifelike quality. During the 1940s, Armstrong created a […]
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
Price: Sold
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
Price: Sold
Rainbow Jewel Flowers This is a fun, c. 1950, unpublished pastel illustration by the Father of American Pin-Up, Rolf Armstrong.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
Price: Sold
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
Price: Sold
Grapefruit Moon Gallery is honored to be able to offer “Ye Chiseler – Yo Ho Ho And a Bottle of Rum”, a large, commanding, seductive and masterful mural created by Henry Clive, to our eyes the finest illustrator working in jazz age Hollywood. Along with its companion work “The Infidel” (also available through Grapefruit Moon Gallery), Clive created this masterwork for the tavern of The Masquers Club, a historic and fascinating Hollywood institution.
Artist: Henry Clive
Price: Sold
A hauntingly beautiful dated 1919 oil on canvas painting by the American artist and illustrator Charles Allan Winter. A nude Art Nouveau maiden with a purple iris posed in front of mosaic work in a style and aesthetic that recalls Alphonse Mucha. Painting is framed in a completely hand crafted gesso batwing frame that was created specifically to house this jewel of a painting.
Artist: Charles Winter
Price: SOLD
This pen, ink, and gouache artwork is an early example by renowned illustrator Cardwell Higgins. A sublime offering in his art deco style, this shows a cityscape at night, with anonymous windows lit up throughout, menaced by a red bolt of lightning, suggesting the tremendous electric power humanity was trying to harness from nature in the early 20th century.
Artist: Cardwell Higgins
Price: Sold
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
Price: SOLD
White Hot Bettie Page Bunny Yeager, the pre-eminent female pin-up photographer of the 20th century took this photograph of pin-up queen Bettie Page on a beach in Florida. Bettie shows why she was dubbed the “pin-up queen” as she strikes a pose in a little white bikini designed and created by Bunny. This was taken […]
Artist: Bunny Yeager
Price: SOLD
O my Luve’s like a red, red rose that’s newly sprung in June Enchanting, dream-like, and romantic, American illustrator Zula Kenyon’s early 20th century portraits offer up a soft, supple, and genteel look at the Edwardian woman. This original pastel on canvas illustration dates to 1914 and features a brunette beauty with milky-white skin draped […]
Artist: Zula Kenyon
Price: Sold
This subtle and captivating pastel on board by Haskell Coffin shows Greta Garbo with her signature mysterious gaze in a stylish cloche hat.
Artist: Haskell Coffin
Price: Sold
