american

This 1920s double weight original large format erotic sepia photograph of Ziegfeld Follies showgirl and flapper Tot Qualters is one of the most well preserved artifacts of the heyday of the jazz age showgirl extravaganza. In its original glassine sleeve, this features Qualters in ornate headdress, captured by Orval Hixon of the Hixon-Newman studios. Photographs from this era of the Ziegfeld Follies are particularly coveted, and views with this exquisite sense of style and costuming are among the most desirable and scarce.

Erotic Ziegfeld Girl Tot Qualters

Artist: Orval Hixon

The smoldering temper, and exotic sensuality of Lili Damita attracted as much attention in pre-code Hollywood as her films, and this Greta Garbo inspired photograph by Elmer Fryer captures her unusual attractions. This large format, double weight sepia gallery portrait features the French beauty in ornate art deco headdress, and displays Fryer’s sophisticated eye.

Lili Damita in The Match King

Artist: Elmer Fryer

This art deco stylized hatted view of Judy Garland was kept in the actress’s personal collection until her death. A charming portrait that showcases the joyful innocence which was essential to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s presentation of the icon (but which ran directly counter to her haunted personal life). This double weight, large format gallery portrait is a rarely seen still, and celebrates the style of the late 1930s as well as the unusual beauty of Garland.

Judy Garland Double Image

Artist: Unknown

Paramount pictures glamour photographer Otto Dyar captures pre-code starlet Adrienne Ames at her most glamorous in this large format, art deco gallery portrait. The press snipe on the verso evokes the sophistication with which Ames was identified, and the fashion icon as which she was known. “Brown and tomato red creates the striking color combination of this rough crepe street frock worn by Adrienne Ames in “From Hell to Heaven”, a Paramount pictures.”

Adrienne Ames in From Hell to Heaven

Artist: Otto Dyar

Hedy Lamarr, Hollywood’s icon of glamour and style, is radiant in this large format, rare gallery still created as a promotional portrait for her 1944 starring turn in “The Heavenly Body.” These double weight, oversized stills were never intended for public consumption and are rare and coveted today as the apex of Hollywood fine art glamour photography. Stunning with its deep black and dramatic style, this also features advertising press snipe on verso as seen.

A Dramatic Hedy Lamarr

Artist: Unknown

Before her tenure as the reigning queen of Hollywood society, and her long-standing position as mistress of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, Marion Davies was among the most beautiful of Florence Ziegfeld’s glorified American girls. Here, she is shown in lavish showgirl costuming, an ethereal beauty in soft focus view by Campbell studio. This double weight gallery portrait is blindstamped by photographer lower right.

Follies Girl Marion Davies

Artist: Campbell Studios

In 1929 Myrna Loy was an unknown actress and dancer in Hollywood, attracting attention for her darkly exotic beauty and sophisticated hard edged acting. This photograph, from the lavish Vitaphone early talkie “Show of Shows” features Loy in an orientalist jazz age view by Fred R Archer that predicts her iconic turn in The Mask of Fu Manchu. This is an exceedingly rare and beautiful view of the Hollywood icon.

Myrna Loy in Show of Shows

Artist: Fred Archer

The instantly iconic profile of Gloria Swanson is foregrounded in this romantic and highly art deco photograph of the queen of silent film, from her 1929 vehicle The Trespasser. In refined flapper pose, against abstracted picture window, Swanson defines the roaring ’20s with all of its sexuality and culture. The still features heavily notated verso with Spanish language text and archival numbering.

Gloria Swanson in The Trespasser

Artist: Unknown

An original pastel, gouache and graphite mixed media pin-up illustration by Frank D’amario. Little has been written about D’amario; we know that he worked for several calendar companies in the 1940s – 50s and was quite prolific producing dozens of published calendar pieces. Over our careers as antique dealers, we have sold prints and calendars of these images but his originals are scarce. He was very adept at these candlelit nudes and now seeing an original work by this artist we are struck by his unique technique and vision.

Pin Up Girl Nude by Candlelight

Artist: Frank D'Amario

A rare surviving gouache painting by Brooklyn, New York pin-up artist and Calendar Illustrator Frank D’amario. Grapefruitmoongallery has sold dozens of this artists published pin-up prints and calendars over the years and recently acquired a pair of his original paintings. This sadly has a faint water tide line and rippling to the paper in the bottom portion. It is certainly acceptable as-is but could perhaps benefit from some careful paper conservation, it is bargain priced accordingly and by all accounts a scarce surviving example of The Great American Pin-up.

The Swimming Hole

Artist: Frank D'Amario

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