holiday

A delightful oil on canvas by Eugenie Wireman likely used by the Curtis Publishing Company as a Christmas magazine cover circa 1910 – 1920. Wireman studied under Howard Pyle and worked as a Brandywine school illustrator creating children’s book illustrations, magazine covers, and advertising art for many Golden Age of Illustration magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post. A delightful view of a young child enjoying the spoils of a bountiful Christmas Morning, with great imagery and antique toy laden fanciful nostalgic appeal.

Christmas Morning

Artist: Eugenie Wireman

A delightful New years Day 1917 illustration in pen & ink by noted female artist and illustrator Nell Brinkley titled Happiness A Plenty. This finds the New Years Baby scene adapted to a young couple who are finding the joys of home and hearth that much more appealing with their new born cherubic smiling infant welcomed into the world. Signed lower middle and matted and framed in a simple black wood frame.

Happiness A Plenty

Artist: Nell Brinkley

A scarce and wonderful original gouache painting on illustration board by Anne Harriet Sefton a.k.a. Fish; this was the cover for The December 1921 Christmas edition of Vanity Fair Magazine. Work is in the humorous yet refined swinging youth style that came to personify the art deco jazz age. Painting is elaborately framed in a hand carved ornate antique wood frame and comes with a bound volume of 1921 Vanity Fair Magazines which includes the complete December 1921 volume.

Three Under The Mistletoe

Artist: Anne Harriet Fish

This jazz age artwork from the late fall of 1924 smartly blends Halloween season & boxing as a metaphor for the presidential election of that November. In this vibrant gouache, used as a cover for “The Brooklyn Eagle Sunday Magazine,” an Uncle Sam-inspired ring girl attempts to keep the peace between the two parties. This is a spirited roaring 20s time capsule.

A Political Halloween Party

Artist: Charles Verschuuren

A spirited Christmas seasonal advertising painting from the 1940s in the style of Chicago artist Haddon Sundblom. This commercial advertising illustration was created for an as of yet unidentified ad campaign in the Sundblom Shop/Chicago Studios aesthetic. It is our belief that this was painted by Sundblom himself.

The Holiday Season

Artist: Haddon Sundblom (attributed)

Grapefruit Moon Gallery is proud to offer the second of several original John Louis Rhead Art Nouveau/Belle Epoque-era illustrations only recently acquired from a New York estate. This large Thanksgiving Harvest goddess colorful and stylized image is titled November in pencil by the artist on the lower margin. The work is matted and framed in a large period gesso frame. This is an astonishing and rare surviving document from this American poster master. Rhead’s work appeared alongside Alphonse Mucha, Jules Cheret and Toulouse Latrec pieces in Les Maîtres de l’Affiche (Masters of Posters) folios at the turn of the last century.

November

Artist: Louis Rhead

A festive Christmas-themed Great Depression avoiding original illustration by John Holmgren for the December 1933 edition of Judge Magazine. A Victorian-themed, carriage-driven, jolly portrayal of a more well to do less menacing time in American society. A complete printed issue of the magazine accompanies the painting.

A Christmas Number

Artist: John Holmgren

A wonderfully executed interior illustration for a story by Eustace Cockrell titled Compliments of R. Smith. Depicting a Christmas gift given to the gentleman center in the form of a race horse. Caption reads: “He won de second at Sunnyside Downs,” Refugee said ” Merry Christmas, Mr. Willie “. A large crisply-rendered pastel nicely framed and matted in it’s original gesso frame. Retains original Collier’s Magazine verso identification label and a full copy of the published magazine is included in the sale.

Compliments of R. Smith

Artist: Martha Sawyers

An original Brown & Bigelow commissioned illustration presumably for a jewelers’ calendar advertisement. Bill Layne was best known for his humorous “hillbilly” renderings which blended in shapely pin-up girls and elves. During the later years of Brown & Bigelow’s long run, Layne was one of their star illustrators.

Holiday Cheer

Artist: Bill Layne

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