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 sentimental nostalgic Americana interior gouache illustration painting for the November, 1946 edition of Ladies Home Journal by Jon Whitcomb, perhaps the most accomplished artist of the era’s mainstream “glossy” illustrators. Commissioned for an interior story about a special puppy titled “A Dog Named Oliver”, with all of the trademark Whitcomb […]
Artist: Jon Whitcomb
A cheerful and romantic seasonal Holiday themed gouache illustration by the prolific and well regarded Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame inductee artist Joe Bowler for an interior story titled “The Christmas House.” This appeared in the December, 1958 edition of The Ladies Home Journal. A fabulous time capsule with a colorful mid-century modern […]
Artist: Joe Bowler
A beautiful oil on canvas portrait painting by the noted female American Golden Age illustrator Edna Crompton. This was exhibited in the 1920s at Beard Art Galleries in Minneapolis as part of their one woman show “Girls of America”. Crompton was a prolific cover illustrator for American mainstream publications including The Saturday Evening Post and Redbook magazine, […]
Artist: Edna Crompton
A colorful and deftly rendered pin-up calendar pastel by Billy Devorss from 1942 titled A Real Leg Show, for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. Devorss was never under contract with any single calendar company which allowed him to work for virtually all of the golden age of Illustration calendar firms, his work was very […]
Artist: Billy Devorss
Grapefruit Moon Gallery is delighted to offer this large rare surviving published pin-up pastel illustration, done for the U.O. Colson calendar company of Paris, Ohio – titled Firelight Glow, part of their 1939 calendar line. Easily the finest original pastel calendar pin-up illustration ever offered for sale by the prolific illustrator Jules Erbit, known typically for […]
Artist: Jules Erbit
Grapefruit Moon Gallery is delighted to offer the original 1941 lurid gouache painting by Bill Fleming which appeared as the cover for the early Dell Vest Pocket Paperback book Marihuana, written by Cornell Woolrich under the pen name of William Irish. The cover slug says it all- “A Cheap and evil girl sets a hopped […]
Artist: Bill Fleming
This original gouache and ink Al Buell published pin up was painted in 1957 for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company, and first appeared as the September 1961 image for a 12 page calendar titled Buell’s Beauties. The model appears at her aptly titled vanity with fresh flowers from an admirer, as two dreamy Buell’s […]
Artist: Al Buell
A superlative large format oil painting by the well regarded prolific American Golden Age of Illustration artist Edward Eggleston that appeared in 1933 as a calendar print with the title Hearts Unmasked, and was widely distributed at the same time as a puzzle with the title The Proposal. A romantic fantasy […]
Artist: Edward Eggleston
A lovely calendar used pin-up pastel for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company by K.O. Munson from the late 1940s to early 50s. A fresh faced red headed bathing beauty finds herself under close scrutiny below the suns colorful rays in this nautically themed classic pin-up pastel illustration. Work is in a very fine vibrant […]
Artist: K.O. Munson
The prolific early Golden Age of Illustration artist Archie Gunn created this whimsical boldly art deco painting for publication. Commissioned as calendar art for a series titled Dancing Girls, in this version a Follies Girl is costumed as a jazz-age French Pierrot clown. A complete vintage salesman’s sample folio of Dancing Girls that includes Gunn’s published image is included in the sale. Gunn […]
Artist: Archie Gunn
