Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
Pre-code Hollywood starlet Verna Hillie is the subject of this erotically charged pastel portrait which was likely used as a cover for the title Reel Movie Fun, a short lived wild and racy publication. Pastel is dated and signed on the back and the sitter is identified in the artist’s hand as seen.
Artist: Cardwell Higgins
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.
Artist: Lloyd Birmingham
Original cover art from a story by Ed Harbarcher from the pages of the July 1973 Adventure for Men . Story is titled I Nailed The Nazis From A Galloping Goose. Artwork is a gouache on illustration boardby the listed illustrator Bruce Minney. Men’s adventure is a genre of magazines that had its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. Catering to a male audience, these magazines featured pin-up photography and lurid tales of adventure that typically featured wartime feats of daring, exotic travel, or conflict with wild animals.
Artist: Bruce Minney
This early 1930s pastel by frequent Golden Age of Hollywood female cover artist Mila Baine, shows a radiant and stylish Norma Shearer looking smart, crisp and alluring. Likely a cover for the title Movie Mirror, for whom Blaine worked often during the period. Handsomely matted and framed behind glass in a fine period frame. Handsomely matted and framed behind glass in a fine period frame.
Artist: Mila Baine
A colorful estate fresh pastel sketch by Rolf Armstrong C. 1930 of his lithe modernist pin-up model Margery Crampton, posed on the bow of a well rendered Chris-Craft Runabout art deco boat. This was a preliminary sketch for the August 1930 issue of College Humor Magazine. While unsigned, pastel is guaranteed to be by the hand of Rolf Armstrong, from the collection of Ken Galente former owner of Silver Screen Gallery in New York.
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
The iconic original sci-fi pulp painting by Lloyd Birmingham was created for and used as the cover of “Amazing – Fact and Science Fiction” April 1962. Illustrating the Mark Clifton interior story “Hang Head, Vandal!” this shows a haunting image of a scarecrow made from what remains of a spaceman perched up over the plains of a flatly rendered landscape, made up of but a few perspective lines trailing away into the distance creating a surreal and cerebral science fiction fantasy image.
Artist: Lloyd Birmingham
The original gouache cover painting by Lloyd Birmingham used for the December 1964 “Stories of Imagination – Fantastic” pulp magazine published by Ziff-Davis, illustrating the Philip K. Dick short novel “The Unteleported Man”. A fresh to the market cover published pulp painting that had remained for decades in the artists upstate New York estate. Work is handsomely framed in a retro looking limed oak fine gallery frame behind glass, comes with the complete published December 1964 edition of Fantastic Stories of Imagination.
Artist: Lloyd Birmingham
This cheeky and colorful original gouache cover illustration painting by the well listed Wisconsin artist Lester Bentley graced the cover of Rogue For Men Magazine, August 1956. Both Lloyd Rognan and Lester Bentley were encouraged as cover artists for Rogue to have fun with their mascot–a caddish, happy go lucky, wolf of distinction. This cover features the Rogue Wolf seaside preparing a beverage in a streamlined art deco cocktail shaker for his bathing beauty companion; bottoms up indeed! Nicely framed and matted behind glass and ready to hang.
Artist: Lester Bentley
This is the very rare surviving original pastel illustration on board by Emil Flohri of Rudolph Valentino as the title character in Son of The Sheik, the controversial romantic adventure that was unexpectedly the final film starring silent filmdom’s first iconic heartthrob. This signed pastel was commissioned and used as the cover for the September 1926 edition of Motion Picture Magazine, and was published almost simultaneously with the unexpected death of Valentino on August 23rd, 1926. A complete copy of the printed magazine is included in the sale.
Artist: Emil Flohri
Grapefruit Moon Gallery is delighted to offer the original published cover pastel by the obscure female New York City Illustrator Tempest Inman used for the July 1922 cover of Photoplay Magazine. This captures to great affect the smoldering intensity and rugged good looks of the Latin lover film star Rudolph Valentino. This is easily the most famous movie magazine cover in Hollywood film history the image is reproduced as the cover of the hardcover book “Photoplay Treasury” that came out in 1972. This was owned by Ken Galente in New York City who operated The Silver Screen Gallery in the garment district for many years until his death. I had the pastel silk lined and framed in a 22 carat gold leaf frame and it displays wonderfully, the condition is excellent with strong vibrant colors and great clarity.
Artist: Tempest Inman
