Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
With irreverent humor, this original oil-on-board painting shows a horned satyr smoking a pipe distracted from his reading by a nude figure in the foreground. Dating to 1929-1930, when Ovid’s Ars amatoria was in the news quite a bit, with the city of San Francisco’s ban of the Ars amatoria in 1929 and its legalization for […]
Artist: Gaspano "Gus" Ricca
The Louis F. Dow Calendar Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota commissioned this pristine and rare surviving pin-up painting by Art Frahm for publication in their 1941 calendar line under the title “Three Point Landing.” The image shows an underdressed, startled redhead having an “oops” moment as her hammock string has broken causing her along with […]
Artist: Art Frahm
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
William Medcalf, the top tier pin-up artist and illustrator created this engaging bathing beauty pin-up as a preliminary artwork for the storied Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Artist: William Medcalf
A pen and ink drawing by noted female artist and illustrator Nell Brinkley. For sale at Grapefruit Moon Gallery.
Artist: Nell Brinkley
“Eyes That Invite” is a colorful and classic 1950 original glamour girl pin-up pastel by Pearl Frush and published by the Gerlach-Barklow Calendar Company of Joliet Illinois. This was gifted by a salesman at Gerlach-Barklow to the Robberson Steel Company of Oklahoma City in appreciation for their lucrative advertising account.
Artist: Pearl Frush
Jon Whitcomb was perhaps the most accomplished “glossy” magazine illustrator working in the mid-century modern style. This fabulous glamour and Western Americana mash-up interior gouache illustration painting for the January, 1951 edition of Cosmopolitan magazine showcases the skillful eye, technical excellence and delightful imaginative sense of narration that set him atop of the field. Commissioned for a story by Shirley Shapiro Pugh titled […]
Artist: Jon Whitcomb
An early painting by beloved American illustrator James Montgomery Flagg which appeared on the cover of Sunday Magazine of the Minneapolis Journal.
Artist: James Montgomery Flagg
A sexy and mod late 1950s gouache illustration on board by Arnold Kohn that we believe to have been used as a pin-up calendar commission.
Artist: Arnold Kohn
An inventive and smart C.1930 pastel by frequent Golden Age of Hollywood Movie Magazine cover artist Mila Baine, showing a radiant and stylish Claudette Colbert. Likely a cover for the title Movie Mirror, where Blaine did numerous commissioned covers of Hollywood’s leading ladies in the early 1930s. From the collection of Ken Galente, former owner of Silver Screen Gallery in New York City.
Artist: Mila Baine
