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!
This original oil on canvas painting, used as the cover for the January 1955 pulp digest, Imagination – Stories Of Science And Fantasy, offers a whimsical mid-century futuristic look at the then far-off year of 1990. The 1950s were abundant with delightfully optimistic and utopian visions of what future life would look like – works like […]
Artist: Harold McCauley
A remarkable, pulp cover painting by Harold H.W. McCauley for the Ziff-Davis science fiction pulp title Fantastic Adventures. Created as the cover for the July 1947 issue, illustrating the interior story “Goddess of the Golden Flame” by William P. McGivern. This is a dazzling work that combines suspense, peril and drama, with a […]
Artist: Harold McCauley
Grapefruit Moon Gallery just unearthed a small collection of original Campbell’s Soup Kids illustrations. These appeared as print ads in countless American mainstream publications such as The Saturday Evening Post in the 1930s. In this offering a Dolly Dingle-type character Campbell’s Soup Kid doubles as a railroad flagbearer with lantern ablaze attesting to the importance of the railroad in 20th century American history. Verso is stamped with a usage print date of 10/11/33. Painting is nicely matted and framed behind glass and ready to hang.
Artist: School of Grace Drayton
A blazing and risqué paperback cover painting by Mort Engel for the Avon paperback, Death Of A Hooker by Henry Kane. Featured is the alluring albeit misguided Kiki Kalmer, adorned only in ostrich plums in man-eater mode, prior to her joining the ranks of the infamous dead blonde club. Title slug reads… Here’s Peter Chambers, hip-deep […]
Artist: Mort Engel
An original George Petty – Petty Girl small presentation pin-up drawing which was given to the Michigan area artist Robert Bushewicz a friend and colleague of Petty’s. In this well rendered colored graphite rendering, Petty choose to recreate one of his most iconic Petty Girls, this image first appeared in the pages of Esquire magazine […]
Artist: George Petty
An early pastel work of a modernist avant-garde dancer by a then young Rolf Armstrong, which was done in Paris as he studied at the Academie Julian his first year there in 1919. The work appears to have been exhibited and to have received a bronze prize as referenced in the inkstamp on the […]
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A genre defining girl in peril, menace themed pulp cover painting by the prolific and gifted American illustrator Peter Driben, this appeared as the cover for the December 1941 issue of Expose Detective True Crime Cases. Illustrating the interior story The Scarlet Sinner’s Final Exit, this lurid, large and rare surviving pulp cover painting has it all. Beautifully framed and in a fine state of conservation.
Artist: Peter Driben
For sale is a lovely tonalist oil on canvas painting by the well regarded Chicago area artist and muralist Otto Hake.
Artist: Otto Hake
One of the earliest existing examples of Erté’s Art Deco cover illustrations for Harper’s Bazar, this gouache painting appeared in November 1918 under the title Les Bulles de Savon. The image showcases two chic Parisian ladies, icons of the new modernist turn, blowing bubbles in which are seen a parade of Edwardian and Art Nouveau fashions. A whimsical yet […]
Artist: Erté
A fresh-faced and fresh to market large format pin-up pastel illustration by the father of American pin-up, Rolf Armstrong, titled I’ll Say So. This flirtatious bathing beauty darling is one of the artist’s most iconic and popular enduring images. Created at the zenith of Armstrong’s artistic powers, this sassy brunette has a laser beam of a smile, and a sarong that […]
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
