Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
A colorful, bright and decorative art deco era original gouache illustration painting, created for print use by an as of yet unidentified fruit/produce company. A handsome shirtless native effortlessly navigates a tropical waterway in a fruit filled gondola. In style and execution, this work is reminiscent of many of the Travel Magazine covers commissioned for print use of the same era. Nicely matted and framed in an art deco period silver gesso handsome wood frame.
Artist: E. B. Segner
A stylish art deco era smartly rendered original gouache illustration painting created as Raleigh Cigarettes advertising. A flirty idealized modern couple spark up more than a conversation with a prominently featured cigarette. This work of some of the George Petty stylized advertising illustrations for “Acme Beer” and “Chesterfield Cigarettes” of the same era. Nicely matted and framed in an art deco period gesso handsome wood frame.
Artist: E. B. Segner
A large and never-before-seen original pastel by Rolf Armstrong, this Green River Soda advertisement features a glamorous pin-up girl. This original pastel was found among other pastels and old lithographs in an abandoned Milwaukee, Wisconsin warehouse building. Decades earlier, the structure had served as headquarters for the “A. C. Schulz” lithography company. Although this piece is unsigned (this is true of much advertising art), it was undoubtedly created by the hand of Rolf Armstrong and is sold as an attributed painting.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
This stylized pastel portrait of a dashing high society fashionable blonde with bright red lips is bright, colorful, fresh and new to the market. The 1930s era portrait was most likely used for print ads for a beauty product in American glamour magazines. A large seductive example of Rolf Amstrong’s unsurpassed pastel work. A winsome idealized vision of American feminine beauty by The Father Of American Pin-up.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A defining huge original charcoal on board of a divine bathing beauty in a smart, streamlined art deco style by the American Illustrator McClelland Barclay. Model looks to be Gracie Allen and this was most likely used in the General Motors Body by Fisher Advertising campaign for which Barclay is fondly remembered. Work is a defining example by this talented and prolific artist and beautifully matted and framed.
Artist: McClelland Barclay
A large original commissioned pin-up genre pastel on illustration board by Knute O. Munson for a 1952 Brown & Bigelow Calendar titled Our Knowledge and Experience At Your Command. This was given to a store owner in Tulsa Oklahoma decades earlier by the regional Brown & Biglelow salesman there as a reward for advertising with his company. It is cleverly signed lower left on the spine of one of the books.
Artist: K. O. Munson
This large original circus motif oil painting was painted by famed illustrator Karl Godwin for Ethyl Gasoline captioned … ” Ethyl controls The Giant Power Of Gasoline … ” And is signed lower left. Godwin was a painter, illustrator and etcher from Canada who studied with Charles Hawthorne and Sigguard Skou, at the ASL of New York City. An August 27, 1932 issue of Liberty Magazine with this piece as the inside cover advertisement is included in the sale.
Artist: Karl Godwin
A rare original piece of late 1930’s early 1940’s advertising art from Minneapolis, Minnesota, The City of Lakes and its summer Aquatennial celebration. Winsome sailor girl pin-up imagery. This is painted on tin was most likely signage of some type also has pencil notations on verso which would lead one to believe it was a cover for some Aquatennial-related publication . Artwork is unsigned.
Artist: Unknown
During the 1920’s in America, all eyes were seemingly on the discovery and subsequent opening of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. For a brief period the decorative arts reflected this fascination with all things Egyptian. This influence is today referred to as Art Deco Egyptian. Here is a magnificent example of this popular culture obsession as painted by renouned illustrator Rudolph Schabelitz depicting the presentation of a pectoral and necklace to Princess Sat of Egypt 1800 B.C.
Artist: R. F. Schabelitz
An original Brown & Bigelow commissioned illustration presumably for a jewelers’ calendar advertisement. Bill Layne was best known for his humorous “hillbilly” renderings which blended in shapely pin-up girls and elves. During the later years of Brown & Bigelow’s long run, Layne was one of their star illustrators.
Artist: Bill Layne
