Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
This Earl Moran original pastel features a cheeky, carhop waitress from the long-gone drive-in-diner era, providing car side service with a smile. This pastel was commissioned by Brown & Bigelow, a sample printed ink blotter is included in sale. Text reads in full A waitress leads a happy life, and sunshine fills her days. The outlook’s good the job is fine, because money grows on trays.
Artist: Earl Moran
Titled at turns “Toast of the Town” and “A Frame Worth PIcturing,” this 1954 Oil on Canvas is Gil Elvgren at his finest. The painting displays Elvgren’s unsurpassed mastery of composition, color, humor, and the female form. Elvgren’s favorite model, Myrna Hansen, is shown cheekily posed in garters, stockings, and heels by an artist’s easel. Scandalously, Hansen modeled for this pin-up while she was the reigning Miss USA. Describing her tenure as Elvgren’s muse, Hansen has said: “I just had to lift my skirt and say, ‘ahh.'”
Artist: Gil Elvgren
A crisply rendered Americana themed original commissioned calendar art oil painting, created for a Brown & Bigelow series titled The American Road. Bill Medcalf was the calendar company’s star artist and alongside Norman Rockwell created the enduring Americana view of the slow paced rural life. Through the years, Medcalf continued drawing the same boy, dog, and small town doctor, aging them slowly and gracefully. Calendars featuring the characters are included with sale.
Artist: William Medcalf
This is a remarkable, new to the market, original 1959 Oil on Canvas by Gillette Elvgren. This stunning painting was used for a Brown & Bigelow Pin-up Calendar smartly titled T.V. Spectacular. This remarkable work personifies the appeal of Elvgren, with cleverly posed sexy cutie in garters and stockings precarious posed in a bright colorful outdoor setting. comes beautifully framed in a museum quality carved period frame, verso features original calendar company label. Condition is astounding as is the work.
Artist: Gil Elvgren
A defining patriotic themed large original pastel by the father of American Pin-up Rolf Armstrong created for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar company. A fetching bathing beauty with modern features and build strikes a celebratory pose in front of a red, white and blue beach umbrella in this World War II-era pin-up In The Pink. The model was Margery Crampton and the appeal of this bright large work is universal.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A bright, fresh and new to the market original pastel pin-up illustration by Earl Steffa Moran, comissioned for a late 1940s Brown & Bigelow calendar. A winsome young pretty idealized redhead in a Hawaiian flavored sarong. 2 small printed B & B marked calendars featuring “Feature Attraction” are included with sale. Pastel is properly lined and behind glass in a fine museum quality handsome gold gilt carved frame.
Artist: Earl Moran
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
A large original commissioned pin-up genre pastel on illustration board by Knute O. Munson for a 1949 Brown & Bigelow Calendar titled Top Service Is Delivered. 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 on the falling package by the artist.
Artist: K. O. Munson
I am pleased to offer a wonderfully executed original pastel by Rolf Armstrong that was used as a College Humor Magazine cover (February 1933) and also as a pair of Brown & Bigelow calendar prints titled Lets Go Places and a cropped “head only” version titled Florence published a few years later in 1937. A skillfully executed and elaborately detailed (and large for the artist) pastel of a sassy, beret-wearing blonde and her Scottish terrier. Classic good girl imagery by the father of American Pin-up.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
We have a collection of three Gag Cartoons done by the well listed illustrator Bob Pettes for reproduction as calendar art by Brown & Bigelow. These feature hapless “Scotch swilling ” hacks — ala Caddyshack and Rodney Dangerfield — but decades earlier in this depiction. Ready to frame with expensive round cut matts. Pettes is best known as an illustrator for puzzle reproduction.
Artist: Robert Pettes
