Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

Rogue For Men

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.

“Bottoms Up” Abroad

Artist: Lester Bentley

This large scale, colorful cheesecake pin up painting features a Hawaiian hula girl serenaded by Rogue Magazine’s signature wolf and was created as cover art by Lloyd Rognan for an unidentified issue of the infamous early men’s magazine. Beginning with the first issue of Rogue, Rognan developed a series of these cartoonish little red riding hood inspired entanglements, and this example is particularly appealing. A classic example of mid-century hula girl Hawaiiana in which the magazine’s signature “Rogue Wolf” plays the part of the haole (or in this case howly?) in tourist shirt.

A Hula Girl Serenade

Artist: Lloyd Rognan

A sublime and richly rendered excursion along the low road, this gouache on illustration board was used as the front cover of Volume #1 Issue #6 of Rogue For Men an early Men’s magazine that was direct competition to Playboy for Men. A Post-war pulp artwork by Lester Bentley which illustrates the interior story by Robert Bloch titled So You’d Like to Have a Harem? Nicely matted and framed and ready to hang in your harem.

So You’d Like to Have a Harem?

Artist: Lester Bentley

A rare surviving original cover illustration for Rogue For Men magazine by Lloyd Rognan for the premiere edition, a December 1955 Volume #1, Edition #1. This is a particularily rich interpretation of a Men’s magazine cover , and illustrates the interior story on page 9 of included published issue of Rogue For Men magazine, story is titled Gentlemen for Rent by Ted Peckham . Rogue was published from December 1955 – December 1967 by Greenleaf publishing and was a direct competitor with Playboy Magazine.

Gentlemen For Rent

Artist: Lloyd Rognan

A rare surviving original cover illustration for Rogue For Me Magazine by Lloyd Rognan for an July 1956 edition. Rognan had a long and prolific career as an illustrator , he studied with an early WPA art student project, contributed regularily for Stars and Stripes. Later his science fiction pulp artwork appeared as covers for such publications as Fate, Imagination and ImaginativeTales, and other sci-fi pulp magazines exploiting the “pre Apollo” moon mission space travel craze. In the 60’s, Rognan was also a regular staff artist for Brown & Bigelow and created a hillbilly humor line called Corn Squeezins.

That Wicked Cancan

Artist: Lloyd Rognan

Rare surviving original illustration art for Rogue for Men Magazine. A lurid genre defining cover by Lloyd Rognan for an April 1956 edition . Rognan had a long and prolific career as an illustrator, he studied with an early WPA art student project, contributed regularily for Stars and Stripes. Later his science fiction pulp artwork appeared as covers for such publications as Fate, Imagination, ImaginativeTales, and other sci fi pulp magazines exploiting the “pre-Apollo” moon mission space travel craze. This is a particularily rich interpretation of a Men’s magazine cover, and finally someone had the nerve to portray things as seen here.

Man the Beast

Artist: Lloyd Rognan

 

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