Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
This is a large preliminary charcoal drawing by Gil Elvgren that evokes two calendar works the artist completed for Brown & Bigelow; 1951’s Party Line and 1958’s A Good Connection. This is signed by Gil Elvgren lower right, above a note by the artist for the art director at Brown & Bigelow, Clair […]
Artist: Gil Elvgren
This is a large preliminary charcoal drawing by Gil Elvgren, a study for the Brown & Bigelow pin-up calendar painting published in 1956 with the title Fit To Be Tied. This comes from a collection of Elvgren preliminary graphite drawings that we acquired which were found in a house in Sarasota, Florida where the artist once […]
Artist: Gil Elvgren
Morning Song is an outstanding large format pastel pin-up illustration by the leading female illustrator Zoë Mozert, which was commissioned for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company of Saint Paul Minnesota. Perhaps the artist’s finest moment, capturing the seductive innocence of a fresh faced young nude in commune with a colorful parakeet. This image first appeared around 1950 with […]
Artist: Zoe Mozert
The Fairest Flower is a deliriously sexy rare surviving nude pin-up pastel by Zoe Mozert created for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. In 1941, after a prolific decade long career as a leading pulp and movie magazine cover illustrator, Zoe Mozert signed on as a staff artist with Brown & Bigelow where she quickly established herself […]
Artist: Zoe Mozert
Lady of Mystery is a supreme example of art deco pin-up calendar art by Edward Eggleston, created in 1938 for the V.P. Wright Litho Company. Without question, this is one of the most iconic images from the 1930s, and for good reason. The purple prose V.P. Wright came up with to adorn the calendar does a better […]
Artist: Edward Eggleston
This sexy oil-on-canvas pin-up painting by Walt Otto was created for and published in a 1961 12-page spiral bound pin-up calendar. The image shows a flirty blonde with dangerous curves seductively caught “sitting pretty,” with classic mid-century style. Though this is unsigned, it is guaranteed to be a published example by Walt Otto. We were able to […]
Artist: Walt Otto
A stunning early 1900’s vintage James Arthur Studios, L. Goddard style, mixed media illustration. This work was used as a calendar for the American Art Works Calendar Company; Coshocton Ohio. Verso tag seems to read Drickley Studios and is titled Girl With Basket of Flowers. A lovely Art Nouveau, Belle Epoque maiden who is delightful and colorful and rendered with great detail and skill. A rare surviving original calendar-used illustration from the early era of glamour art.
Artist: Unidentified
A fabulous published erotic pin-up painting by Freeman Elliott for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. The image appeared in 1948 as one of the two images in a double deck of playing cards put out by the calendar giant marketed with the title “Winning Aces”. From the Collection of Charles Martignette and Louis Meisel, the […]
Artist: Freeman Elliott
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
Grapefruit Moon Gallery is ecstatic to offer Sultana, the original Louis F. Dow commissioned calendar pin-up painting by Henry Clive. Created in 1925, Sultana is in all regards the artist’s signature and defining creation, featuring an exotic nearly nude dreamy enchantress in an Art Deco Egyptian fantasy dreamscape. This enchanting artwork is littered with sophisticated touches such as the Moorish architecture which glimmers behind Sultana as she releases a white dove. This timeless image was again issued in 1941 as a mutoscope card with the title Lucky Dove–a vintage calendar print and mutoscope card are included in the sale.
Artist: Henry Clive
