Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
A large, Victorian era, original watercolor on illustration board by frequent LIFE Magazine illustrator, Charles Howard Johnson. This was most likely an interior, 2-page, color plate illustration for Truth Magazine. A stylized Belle Epoque, old world gondola scene. Nicely framed in a large, period, gesso wood frame.
Artist: Charles Howard Johnson
A large and impressive oil on canvas by beloved American illustrator Haddon Sundblom titled “Moonlight and Roses.” An inspired and luminous, traditional southern Gone With the Wind inspired scene that was likely a commission for Maxwell House Coffee. Included in the assembled cast of characters is a self portrait of the artist himself. Framed in an ornate period gilt frame with a Louisville Kentucky verso framing label.
Artist: Haddon Sundblom
A large and fantastic oil painting by New York Illustrator and artist Edmund F. Ward for an interior story in The Pictorial Review Nov. 1921; titled “The Girl Who Wanted a Fairy Prince”. A magical other-worldly scene that serves as the artists image selection in the Walt Reed penned “The Illustrator in America”. Additionally this painting has been exhibited at The Norman Rockwell Museum in 2002, and at The Society Of Illustrators in 1984. Nicely framed in a handsome hand crafted white gold museum quality frame.
Artist: Edmund Ward
A vignette style interior illustration by Charles Chambers for an as of yet undetermined American slick magazine, featuring a damsel being rescued from rising waters in a precarious flood zone destination. This style of vignette painting likely had text overlaid in in the final printed version. The white painted expanses upper left and lower right would become part of the story developments and turns, to keep the 1920s magazine reader glued to the adventure and action in the story.
Artist: Charles Edward Chambers
Grapefruit Moon Gallery is proud to offer a fine art nude oil painting by Pal Fried from the 1940s. This fresh estate find is titled on verso “Suzanne” and retains its handsome ornate gold painted gesso frame. A luminous example by this gifted and prolific Hungarian painter and illustrator.
Artist: Pal Fried
A rare surviving Edward Sheriff Curtis nude titled “Aphrodite”, (Spirit of the Sea)” circa 1920s, a blue-toned gelatin silver photograph. Signed with the Curtis LA copyright insignia in the negative on the image, accompanied by the original frame backing stamped Aphrodite, Curtis Studio, Los Angeles. One of 3 blue nudes Curtis did towards the end of his life and a coveted rare old original photograph. In a fine state of conservation with silvering in the emulsion along the photographs edges.
Artist: Edward Curtis
A dazzling and otherworldly cover painting by Virgil Finlay for the August 1947 edition of “Famous Fantastic Mysteries” illustrating the interior story by Andrew Marvell titled “Minimum Man”,”A Novel of Terror Unseen”. A scarce commissioned science fiction themed pulp cover from this long running title for Popular Publications and a rare surviving luminous example and one of Finlay’s finest celebrated cerebral creations.
Artist: Virgil Finlay
A large early artwork by Howard Chandler Christy used as a book plate in The Man in the Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart, copyright 1909 Bobbs-Merrill Publishing Company. This illustrated the chapter titled “The Woman in The Next Car.” A very fine and impressive painting in a handsome fumed quarter sawn oak antique frame. Published book included with sale.
Artist: Howard Chandler Christy
A well executed and conceived oil on illustration board created as cover art for an as of yet unidentified Romance paperback. Scene features a Gone With The Wind inspired Civil War era southern plantation interior scene with the requisite pretty maiden. Artwork is by the illustrator Ray Pease, and comes nicely framed and in a fine state of preservation.
Artist: Raymond Pease
A 1961 painting by Al Brule created on commission for the Shaw-Barton Calendar Company; scene features a modern formally attired heartbreaker with her colorful parrot as was often the scene. Included in sale is a vintage calendar print of this work, titled “A Word With Polly”.
Brule was a Chicago area illustrator whose style closely resembled Haddon Sundblom and his circle of Chicago artists.
Artist: Al Brule
