Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
This original pin-up calendar painting by Art Frahm appeared in 1952 under the title Spare? and nows lives in pop culture infamy as one of the artist's "Embarrassment Series" images. In this oil on canvas painting a startled pretty but hapless young blonde bowls a frame and loses her undergarments much to […]
Artist: Art Frahm
Price: SOLD
This is a fun, well-conceived, and luminous original pin-up calendar painting by Art Frahm that appeared in the 1947 Louis F. Dow Calendar Company line under the title Cute Trick. In this oil on canvas painting, a startled, pretty young blonde is catching up on some late night reading when she is […]
Artist: Art Frahm
Price: SOLD
Large, dramatically lit, and alluring, this gouache on illustration board painting by Howard Purcell was created as cover art in 1953 for the digest novel Wild Body by Manning Clay, which told "the intimate story of a modern Salome--who tried to shed the seventh veil." The scene shows Valerie, a pretty albeit tired burlesque dancer between shows, […]
Artist: Howard Purcell
Price: Sold
This large original arwork by James Montgomery Flagg, attests to the friendship between peers during the Golden Age of Illustration.
Artist: James Montgomery Flagg
Price: $35,000.00
A decorative and extreme Art Deco/Machine Age pen and ink advertising drawing by Cardwell Higgins for the 1927 Cadillac Convertible. Work is signed and dated lower right and beautifully framed and matted behind glass; from the estate of Charles Martignette. Higgins was an accomplished draftsman and had a keen eye for design and graphics as seen in this smartly rendered work.
Artist: Cardwell Higgins
Price: $1,350.00
This fabulous original large format pin-up painting by Harry Ekman appeared as a Shaw Barton calendar in 1962, with the title "I Don't Go Too Far In Any Direction!" Our patriotically dressed curvy co-ed appears to be indulging in that summer's latest dance craze, swiveling her hips to the year's biggest musical hits which included "The […]
Artist: Harry Ekman
Price: $28,500.00
This stylized, fashionable pastel portrait of Hollywood film legend Norma Shearer by the prolific American illustrator Charles Sheldon shows off the sophistication the actress became known for in her pre-code appearances in films like The Divorcee. Sheldon was a leading illustrator of 1920s - 1930s Hollywood royalty, responsible for the covers which graced many of the film magazine titles […]
Artist: Charles Sheldon
Price: $2,500.00
A subversive youth gone wild party scene original cover painting by Peter Driben likely used for a paperback book title published by the Novel Library imprint. During the 1950s a hedonistic bohemian fictional sub-culture existed where teens smoked reefer and engaged in orgiastic exploits while becoming addicted to heroin. In showing these delinquents pursuing their darkest sinful desires, the illustrators of the day seemed to take great joy and this is a prime example of this sort of homage to debauchery.
Artist: Peter Driben
Price: $4,500.00
A whimsical art deco original gouache painting titled "La Coquette" by Alberto Vargas. An early work by the Peruvian born pin-up legend exploring the Commedia dell'arte revival that took hold around 1915, the cast of characters in this boldly colored and delightful Edwardian scene features the requisite maiden courted by a Harlequin with slapstick at his side as her guardian looks on in horror. Vargas brings a unique spin to this popular genre and his artistic mastery is apparent even at this early date. This was acquired by Charles Martignette in 1989 from the Vargas estate - the painting is accompanied by a series of Kodak color photographs (dated June 1989) taken by Martignette of this painting, also included are several color photographs of the artist and Martignette taken shortly before Vargas' death in 1982.
Artist: Alberto Vargas
Price: $15,000.00
Inspired by the work of Harry Clarke, this art deco nude avant-garde pen & ink drawing by Cardwell Higgins was titled by the artist "The Elements Involved".
Artist: Cardwell Higgins
Price: $1,950.00
