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Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

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illustration

An allegorical angelic scene by noted American fine artist, muralist, and illustrator Charles Allen Winter titled “Liberty Unchained.” Our research leads us to believe this was an interior magazine illustration for Cosmopolitan, which ran a series of spiritually relevant writings by Roycroft founder and early twentieth century philosopher Elbert Hubbard under the title “Little Sermons”–all illustrated by Winter. Several of Winter’s “Sermons” paintings were then reproduced in Hubbard’s own publication “The Fra.” From the estate of Charles Martignette, the sadly departed author of the “The Great American Pin-Up.”

Liberty Unchained

Artist: Charles Winter

Filed Under: Illustration & Advertising Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1910s, allegorical, angel, arts & crafts, Charles Martignette, Charles Winter, christian, Elbert Hubbard, illustration, muralist, original interior illustration, Roycroft, spiritual, The Fra
Added to Gallery: September 21, 2013

    A sensational original signed and dated 1912 painting by Edmund Dulac published as the fourth plate in the Hodder & Stougton edition of The Bells and Other Poems by Edgar Allan Poe. A master of early 20th century illustrations, Dulac is known for his mysterious and compelling depictions of fairytales and imagined lands. Pictured […]

Annabel Lee

Artist: Edmund Dulac

Filed Under: Illustration & Advertising Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1910s, Annabel Lee, art nouveau, Edgar Allen Poe, Edmund Dulac, fantasy, french, illustration, maiden, original interior illustration, pre-raphaelite, The Golden Gallery
Added to Gallery: July 16, 2013

An original pastel, gouache and graphite mixed media pin-up illustration by Frank D’Amario. Little has been written about D’Amario; we know that he worked for several calendar companies in the 1940s – 50s and was quite prolific producing dozens of published calendar pieces. Over our careers as antique dealers, we have sold many published examples of his work but his originals are scarce. This original pin-up illustration is beautifully framed and matted behind glass in a wide profile antique hand crafted gold painted basswood frame.

Sheer Mystery

Artist: Frank D'Amario

Filed Under: Pin-Up & Glamour Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, Frank D'Amario, glamour, illustration, nude, original calendar art, pin up
Added to Gallery: April 30, 2013

This ravishing red headed pin-up illustration by the prolific American illustrator and fine artist Roy Besser epitomizes the mid century modern style of pin up art popularized by George Petty & Alberto Vargas. In the image, a perky sun loving bathing beauty in stylish cats eye sunglasses shows off her bad girl side with a coy and inviting smile. Signed lower right a gouache painting on illustration board and a published work for as of yet unidentified print usage. Handsomely framed and double matted behind glass.

Red Headed Pin Up

Artist: Roy Besser

Filed Under: Pin-Up & Glamour Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, illustration, lingerie, pin up, Roy Besser, tattoo
Added to Gallery: March 23, 2013

The climactic beach scene in the 1953 film From Here to Eternity is interpreted in this artwork for the men’s magazine market, and given a lurid slant well suited for the sweats. This well rendered unsigned gouache on illustration board painting comes from a collection of published works from the early years of Saga Magazine, a lurid title that thrived in the post-war pulp men’s market of the early 1950s. The work is attributed to Edward Valigursky who worked for Saga during the period.

From Here To Eternity

Artist: Ed Valigursky (attributed)

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, bathing beauty, bikini, Ed Valigursky, From Here to Eternity, illustration, original interior illustration, pin up, Saga Magazine, seduction, the sweats
Added to Gallery: February 14, 2013

In the rubble of a war-torn central square in what appears to be Cuba, a ravishing blonde in form fitting red sweater stands unscathed, and seemingly victorious. This unsigned gouache painting comes from a collection of works we recently acquired that date to the early years of Saga Magazine. Saga was a lurid Men’s title that thrived in the post-war pulp, low brow magazine market of the early 1950s. On the back of one of the pieces within the collection was a verso tag which read “attributed to Valigursky – For Saga Magazine 40’s – 50s.”

Shootout At The Cantina

Artist: Ed Valigursky (attributed)

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, Ed Valigursky, gritty, illustration, lurid, original interior illustration, pin up, pulp, Saga Magazine, the sweats, WWII
Added to Gallery: February 14, 2013

A direct and gritty, highly sexualized unsigned gouache on illustration board painting from a collection of works we recently acquired that are believed to come from the early years of Saga Magazine. Saga was a lurid Men’s title that thrived in the post war pulp low brow magazine market of the early 1950’s. This is a typical sweat magazine take on the old folklore tale of the farmer’s daughter. When we purchased this collection one of the old frames had a label on the back that read “attributed to Valigursky – For Saga Magazine 40’s – 50s.”

The Farmer’s Daughter

Artist: Ed Valigursky (attributed)

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, Ed Valigursky, erotic, gritty, illustration, lurid, original interior illustration, pin up, pulp, Romantic Western, Saga Magazine, the sweats
Added to Gallery: February 14, 2013

This May 1930 science fiction pulp gouache painting on illustration board by noted comic artist Charles Clarence Beck who signed much of his work C.C. Beck illustrates a poem by Donald Wandrei titled Marmora. Our research suggests this could be the earliest published example of Beck’s work, as it predates his first known job by a few years. The work is sensational with a cobalt blue color palette and precise landscape work which appears to be influenced by Rockwell Kent.

Marmora

Artist: C. C. Beck

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1930s, alien, american, C. C. Beck, fantasy, illustration, Minnesota Artist, pulp, science fiction
Added to Gallery: January 12, 2013

This stirring oil on canvas presents a traditional Indonesian dance filled with music, movement, and joy. Martha Sawyers, the artist, made a name in the illustration world for her deeply sensitive and captivating portraits of Far Eastern life–she returned to the region time and again, and her appreciation for the variety of cultures and peoples she encountered culminated in the book she co-authored with her husband William Reusswig “India and Southeast Asia.”

Indonesian Dance

Artist: Martha Sawyers

Filed Under: Illustration & Advertising Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1960s, american, dance, erotic, illustration, indonesian, Martha Sawyers, musical, original illustration art
Added to Gallery: November 11, 2012

This original gouache pulp magazine cover painting by Lloyd Birmingham used for the December 1961 issue of Fantastic Stories of Imagination illustrates the Daniel Galouye short novel “Spawn of Doom”. The image features an alien astronaut breaking into a museum window to stop a sentient spore-based life form from taking over planet earth and destroying the human race. Painting is handsomely framed and matted behind glass and comes with the magazine which this appeared as cover art for.

Spawn of Doom

Artist: Lloyd Birmingham

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1960s, alien, american, astronaut, cold war, Fantastic Stories of Imagination, illustration, Lloyd Birmingham, magazine cover, original cover art, pulp, science fiction
Added to Gallery: November 5, 2012

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