american

A large scale impressive oil on stretched canvas by noted New York City illustrator Howard Chandler Christy titled “Surrender of the Blockhouse, Spanish-American War”. A boldly rendered impressionist work that depicts one of the war’s climactic battle scenes of 1898. Signed lower left and framed with a title plaque. Stretcher bar bears the notation “Oct. Cover.” This is a defining example of the artist’s historically impactful work that deftly shows Christy’s expertise in making battle scenes come to life.

Surrender of the Blockhouse

Artist: Howard Chandler Christy

A luminous and sensational oil on canvas by Charles Edward Chambers, a masterful magazine and advertising illustrator of the jazz age. Chambers created this remarkable, highly sensuous Polynesian enchantress scene as a commissioned interior magazine illustration, likely for Cosmopolitan where he was under exclusive contract for many years. This uninhibited and erotic island dance scene is one of Chambers’ finest paintings, and a masterful example of early 20th century exoticism in illustration.

Fire Dancer

Artist: Charles Edward Chambers

A large well preserved pencil signed copper plate etching by Stephen Parrish, the celebrated artist, etcher and father of beloved American Illustrator Maxfield Parrish. Featuring a New England harbor view with a lone fisherman standing on the pier. The presence of the figure is unusual for etchings by Parrish, whose harbor landscapes rarely featured images of people. This was framed in the 1920s and retains the original unopened backing paper and a verso label from “E & A Art Shop.” The etching is signed in pencil lower right in the margin and is in an fine state of preservation. A rich impression on Japan paper in excellent condition.

A Harbor Scene With Figure

Artist: Stephen Parrish

A Grecian inspired, fantasy themed, mixed media illustration that was used by the Thos. D. Murphy Calendar company for a 1930 calendar titled The Glory That Was Ancient Greece. This whimsical yet erotic Grecian maiden themed work consists of a heavily tinted photograph of the two Grecian adorned beauties by L.G. Woolenden and an elaborate garden landscape painting by Rudolph Ingerle that envelopes the photographic element. This team of enterprising calendar art talents created numerous works under the pseudonym L. Goddard Surviving original L Goddard artworks are quite rare and spectacular, and among our favorite examples of fantastical and escapist art deco/Great Depression calendar illustration. A large printed calendar from the Thomas D. Murphy calendar company archives is included in the sale.

The Glory That Was Ancient Greece

Artist: L. Goddard

A delightful and rare surviving Art Frahm pin-up Calendar oil painting likely commissioned by The Joseph Hoover Calendar Company. This was from the collection of the late Charles Martignette, co-author of “The Great American Pin-up”. Verso indicates the work was done by Vaughan Bass but it is clearly initialed lower left by Art Frahm and is the work of Frahm without question. This was likely mislabeled years ago by a Calendar Company printer or office worker.

Come on Over

Artist: Art Frahm

A well rendered 1970s time capsule painting by Don Ivan Punchatz, for the paperback cover of the 1970 Avon title “Hawksbill Station”. This work is reminiscent of the album cover art from this remarkable time, and speaks to the psychedelic youth culture popular at the time, which moved from the buttoned-up consumerist graphics of the previous generation towards hyper realist imagery thought to heighten the sensations of LSD and marijuana. Work is unframed and mounted on a masonite panel, a copy of the book is included in the sale.

Hawksbill Station

Artist: Don Ivan Punchatz

A well rendered and rare surviving 1920s original oil on board illustration by the prolific New York artist Charles M. Relyea. Featuring an art deco Indian Maiden this is a fine example of American calendar art and was a widely published image titled “Chums” which evokes the allure of the Indian Maiden and wonderfully captures the Depression-era popular fascination with exotic-themed escapism.

Chums

Artist: Charles Relyea

A dazzling, large oil on canvas painting by frequent Saturday Evening Post cover artist Frederic Stanley. This wild prohibition-era, Charleston-dancing, Roaring Twenties flapper girl celebrates a Loew’s Theatre New York Policeman’s Ball Burlesque show. This is a wonderfully rendered artwork and a piece of New York history originally owned by Eve Green, the first wife of hotel magnate Harry Helmsley. Created for the cover of the program associated with this 1926 review, this important work showcases the 1920s jazz-age aesthetic of Manhattan’s bustling Vaudeville/Burlesque social scene.

The Policeman’s Ball, 1926

Artist: Frederic Stanley

A large and well rendered oil painting by William Medcalf, likely created for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. This dates from the 1940s to early 50s; an era of situationally challenged cheesecake themed entanglements. In this instance, a red head bathing beauty has been startled (or perhaps merely amused) by a green frog. William Medcalf was a leading and prolific illustrator who worked in a variety of styles. His surviving pin-up commissions are especially coveted and this is a fresh-to-the-market, masterful work.

Bathing Beauty Startled by a Frog

Artist: William Medcalf

An erotic and sensational pin-up painting by Mayo Olmstead presumably created for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. The work is mixed media on a Crescent illustration board with pastel used for the central figure and skin tones and oil or acrylic applied in an impasto textured bold technique to the border areas creating an alarming and lively composition. Olmstead was known for his good girl styled beauties, this sun burned she devil on the other hand is entirely of another vernacular.

Crazy From The Heat

Artist: Mayo Olmstead

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