Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
A breezy Jazz-Age American impressionist painting from the 1920s by the New York City illustrator artist, illustrator and anarchist Modest Stein. A young contemplative couple with a sense for fashion eye a possible future as one as they gaze out together over the Eastern seaboard. The artist worked extensively for romance themed titles for Street & […]
Artist: Modest Stein
Carmen, painted in 1929, is one of four monumental and epic, larger than life oil paintings created by Rolf Armstrong after his return from a yearlong excursion to Paris, where the artist was inspired by the fine art salon movement nudes which were on display in museums, galleries, and private homes throughout France. Known as the Paris […]
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A delightful pen & ink drawing of a flirty coquettish lass who goes by the name of “The Tango Girl”. In all ways this appears to be an artwork by Nell Brinkley though it is inscribed “Mae Howers”, not sure if this perhaps was the model? The image, style, handwriting and era all point to this being the work of Nell Brinkley.
Artist: After Nell Brinkley
An exceedingly scarce and early Art Nouveau period original pastel portrait by Rolf Armstrong dated 1913. A crisply rendered serene take on a sad eyed solemn brown eyed lass. This pastel dates just one year later than his first published works of 1912 for Puck and Judge magazines. His signature had not yet become the stylized scripted font of which we are accustomed to seeing. I have yet to uncover the published version of this work, it was most likely commissioned as a sheet music cover or perhaps a cover for American Sunday Magazine, one of several periodicals willing to take a chance on the young emerging talent.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A topical newspaper illustration (presumably for the Hearst Newspapers) confronting the dilemma of Eugenics. In the 1910’s-1920’s the United States was faced with the question of whether individuals should marry with a mind towards creating superior babies through genetic family planning. This cartoon finds this notion farfetched and we see love conquering science to the shock and delight of a couple now free to live as their hearts command. A very sophisticated topical take on a pre-eminent question of the early 20th century. This is a fantastically rendered en grisaille style pen and ink drawing with highlights. En grisaille was a popular style in the early 20th century for illustrations created for reprinting. In a stylish contemporary fine gilded wood frame.
Artist: Gustav Michelson
A glamorous, art deco Petty Girl mixed media illustration from 1938 that appeared in the pages of Esquire Magazine with the quip “Thanks for the hospitality, Mr. Grover, but I don’t mind going home in the rain.“ In this sophisticated rendering, we see a sexy svelte blonde in a form fitting satin gown […]
Artist: George Petty
A whimsical roaring twenties stylized Art Deco pen & ink illustration by John Held, Jr. of unknown publication usage. A stylish flapper girl in a cloche hat enlists this year’s dandy as her personal social secretary. Handsomely matted and framed under glass.
Artist: John Held, Jr.
“My art, which is my life, is the only language through which I speak with the world.” -Erté Through his work, Erté has become synonymous with timeless decadence and a bold avant garde modernist aesthetic. His creation embody, and for many people define Art Deco. Today, though, most people are familiar with his work only through photographs, fine […]
Erté, often called the father of Art Deco, described the style as “the confluence of Cubism and Art Nouveau.” Nowhere is that combination more clearly seen than in this gouache on board illustration painting, which appeared as the October 1923 “Annual Fall Fashion” cover of Harper’s Bazar. In “Les Parfums” a dramatic figure, costumed in an […]
Artist: Erte
This important original gouache painting by Erté, the father of Art Deco, was created as a cover illustration for Harper’s Bazaar and was published in December 1932. Erté had a more than twenty year association with the magazine, and during that period created upwards of two hundred covers for the title, defining their sophisticated take on fashion and high […]
Artist: Erté
