Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration
A large format, tightly rendered preliminary charcoal and pastel pin-up illustration created for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company, the finished pastel was titled That’s A Deal. It is boldly signed and dated 1947, a fine offering by the prolific American pin-up artist Rolf Armstrong. The Stan to whom the piece is inscribed is […]
Artist: Rolf Armstrong
A 1940s pin-up oil painting on masonite panel showing an erotically rendered on the wrong end of a situation bathing beauty. A blonde, young heart-breaker is seen blowing up an inner tube while her own pneumatic charms prove too much for her bikini top; focused on her task she seems unfazed by the classic cheesecake “oops” moment. […]
Artist: Irving Winer
A colorful and deftly rendered pin-up calendar pastel by Billy Devorss from 1942 titled A Real Leg Show, for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. Devorss was never under contract with any single calendar company which allowed him to work for virtually all of the golden age of Illustration calendar firms, his work was very […]
Artist: Billy Devorss
As purveyors of collectible illustrative works, we are often asked time and time again, “what is a lithograph?” It’s a printing process that you’ve probably encountered more times than you’re aware of. You see it heralded in museums as 18th and 19th century pieces of fine art. It was the covers of the magazines in […]
Grapefruit Moon Gallery is delighted to offer this large rare surviving published pin-up pastel illustration, done for the U.O. Colson calendar company of Paris, Ohio – titled Firelight Glow, part of their 1939 calendar line. Easily the finest original pastel calendar pin-up illustration ever offered for sale by the prolific illustrator Jules Erbit, known typically for […]
Artist: Jules Erbit
Grapefruit Moon Gallery is delighted to offer the original 1941 lurid gouache painting by Bill Fleming which appeared as the cover for the early Dell Vest Pocket Paperback book Marihuana, written by Cornell Woolrich under the pen name of William Irish. The cover slug says it all- “A Cheap and evil girl sets a hopped […]
Artist: Bill Fleming
This original gouache and ink Al Buell published pin up was painted in 1957 for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company, and first appeared as the September 1961 image for a 12 page calendar titled Buell’s Beauties. The model appears at her aptly titled vanity with fresh flowers from an admirer, as two dreamy Buell’s […]
Artist: Al Buell
A lovely calendar used pin-up pastel for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company by K.O. Munson from the late 1940s to early 50s. A fresh faced red headed bathing beauty finds herself under close scrutiny below the suns colorful rays in this nautically themed classic pin-up pastel illustration. Work is in a very fine vibrant […]
Artist: K.O. Munson
The prolific early Golden Age of Illustration artist Archie Gunn created this whimsical boldly art deco painting for publication. Commissioned as calendar art for a series titled Dancing Girls, in this version a Follies Girl is costumed as a jazz-age French Pierrot clown. A complete vintage salesman’s sample folio of Dancing Girls that includes Gunn’s published image is included in the sale. Gunn […]
Artist: Archie Gunn
A two paneled signed pen & ink illustration drawing by Nell Brinkley published as an interior illustration in a 1931 edition of Life magazine. On the left the biblical Eve is seen in the Garden of Eden, in harmony with nature and god’s living creatures before her fall into temptation. The right image shows Jill, a […]
Artist: Nell Brinkley
