1920s

Using an inventive pointillism technique, Henry J. Soulen creates a moody and evocative artwork in an American impressionist style in this dramatic painting. This was likely featured as an interior illustration for The Saturday Evening Post. Known for his Orientalist exotic aesthetic, Soulen was an early student of Howard Pyle, he utilized a heavy expressive brush strokes and impasto oil paint technique. The scene features a masked bandit readying himself to duel for the honor of the lovely Edwardian attired maiden.

The Duel

Artist: Henry Soulen

An inventive early offering by the noted industrial designer Paul Ritter MacAlister, who went on to be an interior designer especially noted for his mass-produced “Plan-a-Room” kit with scale furniture and room layouts that could be used to plan and organize home spaces for consumers. This is a very well executed work it is done in the style of Erte essentially and features an art deco nude goddess of the darkness cowering under the bright sunshine radiating from the corner of the canvas – superimposed with a pipe smoking skeleton in a trompe l’oeil “trick of the eye” manner.

Spain, 1929

Artist: Paul MacAlister

A lyrical American impressionist oil painting by Charles Allan Winter, one of our favorite 20th century fine artists and illustrators. This is a large and important work with two demure Art Nouveau maidens in a lush and colorful stylized fantasy landscape. Verso retains original exhibition card and title of “Music”. Housed in a wide profile hand carved Paul Carter Goodnow American Arts & Crafts frame, a defining example from the Charles Martignette collection.

Music

Artist: Charles Winter

A remarkable, large, signed and dated 1929 oil painting by one of the leading “cabin art” calendar artists Frank Stick. Known best for his genre illustrations for the Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Company, Stick also worked for many early 20th century magazine titles including Collier’s, Sports Afield and The Saturday Evening Post creating rugged outdoorsman scenes culled from his own experiences. This is a unique offering by the artist, featuring a pretty Pre-Raphaelite Viking mother and her newborn child emerging from a long winter, a cherished example from the Charles Martignette collection.

A Viking Mother

Artist: Frank Stick

A large expressive C. 1920 Art Deco American painting signed by the artist Sidis, a name which is unfamiliar to us. Though mysterious, this is a fabulous work featuring a harem of nude forest sprites making merriment in lavish erotic dance. The tree foliage is boldly applied impasto paint, which provides stark contrast to the muted tones […]

The Forest Nymphs

Artist: Sidis

The Circle Of Life is an art deco allegorical avant-garde pen & ink drawing by Cardwell Higgins. This early offering by the renowned illustrator recalls the erotic and stylized work of British artist Aubrey Beardsley while considering man’s relationship to mortality. This is part of a series of similarly exotic and provocative drawings Higgins created between 1927 – 1929, which would much […]

The Circle Of Life

Artist: Cardwell Higgins

An elegant art deco gouache-on-board created for General Motors who commissioned this work for their Cadillac ad campaign during the late 1920s-early 30s. This remarkable composition features a modernist, jazz age, formally attired woman flanked by majestic wolfhounds. She is shown entering a castle as her Cadillac touring sedan rests among palm trees in the background. Work is unsigned, in the manner of Edouard Benito or George Wolfe Plank.

Elegant Woman & Wolfhounds

Artist: Unknown

A climactic moment from the epic story of Don Quixote as depicted by by Willy Pogany. This is titled on verso in the artist’s hand “The Enchanters Put Don Q. In A Cage”. A commissioned “Golden Age of Illustration” work used in a 1920s adaptation of Don Quixote. Signed lower right beautifully framed and silk matted behind glass.

The Enchanters

Artist: Willy Pogany

An action filled battle at sea original watercolor illustration painting by noted Hungarian born Golden Age Illustrator Willy Pogany. Used in a 1920s adaptation of Don Quixote, in this scene an alluring sea siren means certain death in this fantasy laden, impactful work that is beautifully framed and silk matted behind glass.

A Sea Siren

Artist: Willy Pogany

This Orientalist art deco avant-garde pen & ink drawing by Cardwell Higgins is an early work by the renowned illustrator that recalls the erotic and stylized work of British artist Aubrey Beardsley. This is part of a series of similarly exotic and provocative drawings Higgins created between 1927 – 1929, which would much later be marketed as a series of […]

Dragon Lady

Artist: Cardwell Higgins

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