Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
A colorful estate fresh pastel sketch by Rolf Armstrong C. 1930 of his lithe modernist pin-up model Margery Crampton, posed on the bow of a well rendered Chris-Craft Runabout art deco boat. This was a preliminary sketch for the August 1930 issue of College Humor Magazine. While unsigned, pastel is guaranteed to be by the hand of Rolf Armstrong, from the collection of Ken Galente former owner of Silver Screen Gallery in New York.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A kinetic art deco era flapper girl bathing beauty is captured frolicking in the waves in this original oil on canvas pin-up painting by William Soare. Likely created for a pin-up calendar, the work is signed lower left and also marked on the back canvas in the artists hand. William Fulton Soare was a versatile illustrator who was prolific during the 1920s – 30s creating covers for many pulp magazines titles and Boy’s Adventure Magazines. His first assignments were illustrations for calendar reproduction.
Artist: William Soare
A finely executed dated 1927 pen & ink illustration on board by Cardwell Higgins with inventive art deco style. A Persian attired Orientalist showgirl is depicted in a burlesque vaudeville-era Ziegfeld Follies inspired theatrical production. The work recalls the erotic and stylized pen & ink works of British artist Aubrey Beardsley.
Artist: Cardwell Higgins
A large and beautiful original pastel by Rolf Armstrong that first appeared as a pin-up calendar for The Thos. D. Murphy Calendar Company under the title “Orchids To You”. Armstrong only created eight artworks for the Iowa based company, and as he was already America’s premiere glamour illustrator when he began working with them, he was permitted to retain ownership of his original pastels. He often reworked these slightly for use as covers for College Humor magazine, during the tail end of his ten year association with the periodical. Staying just outside copyright infringement by removing the orchids from the model’s left hand, and placing a “New York” and “C” for copyright under his distinctive signature, this altered version appeared on the cover of College Humor in March of 1936, the last time an Armstrong girl would grace this title. This pastel appears in a mid 1930s “Armstrong Art Service’s” brochure with the title of “Flower of the North” which is included in sale.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A sophisticated charcoal portrait by iconic and beloved American artist and illustrator James Montgomery Flagg, dated 1936. A severe yet fetching caricature-styled portait of Hollywood film legend Gloria Swanson during her self-imposed seven year hiatus from Hollywood. Flagg created a series of similar portraits for the cover of Photoplay Magazine during the years 1936 – 1938. This was likely commissioned by Photoplay for the series, but scrapped when a rumored return to film by Swanson failed to materialize.
Artist: James Montgomery Flagg
Grapefruitmoongallery is proud to offer one of 3 original commissioned large circular oil paintings that adorned the restaurant walls of Larue’s a legendary Hollywood, Sunset Blvd. haunt that was owned by gangster character actor Jack LaRue. Henry Clive was a frequent patron and close friend of LaRue, and this painting, titled Spirit of Capri was purchased directly from the restaurant about 45 years ago by the artist’s son Henry Clive O’Hara. In addition to being a prolific cover illustrator for Randolph Hearst’s American Weekly, Clive painted several large risque and attention garnering commissioned mural works for Hollywood landmarks like The Jade and The Masquers Club as well as LaRue’s.
Artist: Henry Clive
A large art deco modernist pastel illustration by Rolf Armstrong titled “Hello Everybody”. From the estate of Mike Wooldridge and never before offered for sale, this is easily one of Armstrong’s most iconic works for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. For good reason, this is one of the artist’s most widely distributed images featuring a cute and sassy flapper girl in feminine jazz-age business attire. One of Armstrong’s most prolifically used creations, Wooldridge collected versions of the image used in playing cards, advertising blotters, notebook tablets, calendars and prints in all sizes and configurations. Many are included with sale.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
This rare original painting by Henry Clive graced the cover of the June 18, 1933 edition of William Randolph Hearst’s The American Weekly. Clive was often called upon to create serialized images of pin up enchantresses who embodied a theme. This is one of those works – from a series of images which depicted a variety of maidens about to be struck by cupid’s arrow.
Artist: Henry Clive
This Pierrot-inspired flapper girl pastel was created by Henry Clive as cover art for a Hollywood Comedy Club burlesque program. With a mischevious glint in her eye, the smiling blond embodies the devil-may-care ethos of the early jazz age. After moving to California to work in silent films, Clive was very much a part of the Hollywood social scene. This original pastel is an early example of his fraternal pursuits, and includes a faint dedication to a fellow member of the Hollywood Comedy Club for which this was created.
Artist: Henry Clive
A rare and whimsically delightful surviving cover painting from the golden age of illustration by Theodore Haupt, which appeared on the cover of The New Yorker; January 28, 1928. This painting captures the fun and folly of New York City in a severe art deco zig-zag aesthetic. During the busy wintertime wonderland shopping crush, a window dresser is shown feverishly attiring a nude store mannequin as snow covered throngs watch in delight. Haupt illustrated forty four covers for The New Yorker between 1927 and 1933.
Artist: Theodore Haupt
