Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
A whimsical turn of the last century illustration, this watercolor and gouache painting by John Frederick (Fred) Nankivel is a delightful piece of childhood fantasy. With soft, neutral tones that capture the ethereal play of sunlight pressing through the water’s surface, it is a beautiful contrast to the murky underwater environment. Two young […]
Artist: Fred Nankivel
This painting was purchased from the Illustration House in the early 1990s and this exhibited artwork is rumored to have been modeled by Constance Bennett and for a time hung in the bedroom of her lover Phillip Wrigley.
Artist: C.D. Williams
A dazzling and evocative gouache illustration painting for a 1972 edition of Hans Cristian Andersen’s classic tale “The Little Mermaid”. A shining deftly rendered example in the manner of Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. Work is matted and framed and signed by the artist lower left and titled in the margin lower right.
Artist: Harold Thompson
The Intruder is a rare surviving oil on canvas American Impressionist painting created in 1921 by Arthur Prince Spear. This underwater sea nymph scene was exhibited that year at Boston’s St. Botolph Club, and the Chicago area Rosenbach Galleries and The House of O’Brien, where it is believed to have been sold. Reviewing the St. […]
Artist: Arthur Prince Spear
A wonderful nude mermaid themed Bill Layne Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company commissioned illustration, the second of two are offering at Grapefruit Moon Gallery. A 1950s-60s gouache on board created for one of this calendar company’s jewelry advertising accounts. This depicts a topless pin-up girl mermaid on a balance scale with a tray of freshly mined pearls surrounded underwater by a host of male atomic-age sea dwellers. The type of scene only Bill Layne could envision and execute. The whimsical charm predicts Layne’s later career in the animation department for Walt Disney feature films. We expect Bill Layne to become a wildly collected and important artist in years to come.
Artist: Bill Layne
The finest example of a Bill Layne Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company commissioned illustration we have had to offer. A 1950s-era gouache on board titled “Pearl Gardens, for Cultivated Pearls”. Created for one of this calendar company’s jewelry advertising accounts, the image depicts a pair of topless pin-up girl mermaids in an underwater oyster mine with a host of male atomic-age sea dwellers. The type of scene only Bill Layne could envision and execute.
Artist: Bill Layne
A bizarre and macabre artwork by one of our favorite illustrators Mahlon Blaine titled on verso “A Fish Story.” A mermaid Medusa-like nude rendered in a pastel colored palette with an unusual size and configuration that leads us to believe this was created as a left-hand page interior illustration in a pulp magazine such as Weird Tales. When reproduced we imagine text would have been blocked around the right edge of this highly creative image.
Artist: Mahlon Blaine
Spear did a series called “Sea Weeds” with haunting images of art nouveau mermaids and other sea dwellers. This original pastel is a stunning and highly detailed example from this series. The colors are vivid and her ghost-like presence is breathtaking. This original gouache is referenced in the Warren Historical Society book on Spear on page 33 lot # 147. it was completed in February of 1927 and sold in 1930 at a New York City studio show. Artwork retains original period frame which shows some wear and there is some very minor “bubbling” where paper surface has lifted from board. This wear is minor and easily repaired.
Artist: Arthur Prince Spear
Spear did a series called “Sea Weeds” with haunting images of art nouveau mermaids and other sea dwellers. This is an original pastel on sandboard from this series. The mystical beauty of this underwater nymph lies in the simplicity of his rendering. It is housed in a beautiful original vintage art nouveau frame with corner detailing.
Artist: Arthur Prince Spear
