Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

theater

This original gouache painting by Harry Bennett was used as cover art for the Pyramid paperback publication of "Cry Shame" written by Gore Vidal under the pseudonym Katherine Everard. During his early career, Vidal published under several pseudonyms in order to evade the accusation that the rate of his publishing made it impossible for him to be a "serious" literary author. This is a singular opportunity to own an original piece of both illustration art and literary history, from the estate of Charles Martignette.

Cry Shame

Artist: Harry Bennett
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    An expressive Art Deco era large format oil painting by the noted American artist and illustrator Elbert McGran (E.M.) Jackson. The scene shows a bustling backstage dressing room, perhaps on opening night.  In the foreground, a confident, lavishly costumed Follies Girl clutches her script as she prepares to make her debut, with reassurances from […]

Playing The Part

Artist: E.M. Jackson
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    This majestic and otherworldly oil-on-board by the New York illustrator A.D. Rahn is a reflection on the decadence of the Broadway stage circa 1915. A beautiful and haughty blonde, whose bobbed hair and dropped waist gown evoke Irene Castle, is seen emerging from backstage with the help of a green imp, her own high […]

Making her Appearance

Artist: A.D. Rahn
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Before her tenure as the reigning queen of Hollywood society, and her long-standing position as mistress of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, Marion Davies was among the most beautiful of Florence Ziegfeld's glorified American girls. Here, she is a delicate princess captured at the height of her beauty by Alfred Cheney Johnston, who had as much a part of creating the Follies reputation as Ziegfeld himself.

Follies Princess Marion Davies

Artist: Alfred Cheney Johnston
Price:  S O L D

This 1920s double weight original large format erotic sepia photograph of Ziegfeld Follies showgirl and flapper Tot Qualters is one of the most well preserved artifacts of the heyday of the jazz age showgirl extravaganza. In its original glassine sleeve, this features Qualters in ornate headdress, captured by Orval Hixon of the Hixon-Newman studios. Photographs from this era of the Ziegfeld Follies are particularly coveted, and views with this exquisite sense of style and costuming are among the most desirable and scarce.

Erotic Ziegfeld Girl Tot Qualters

Artist: Orval Hixon
Price:  S O L D

A hard-boiled and erotically posed masterful gallery portrait photograph of Winifred Shaw, from her role in the Rodger's and Hart play "Simple Simon." Shaw, a unique beauty with vixenish jazz age features, was soon to become a Hollywood musical performer in the wild Depression era productions of the 1930s. In this photograph by Roberts, with its naturalistic styling, and provocative smoking view, Winifred Shaw is shown in all her unique beauty and iconic eroticism. A rare example of the raw sexuality of jazz age theater photography.

Erotic Winifred Shaw Smoking

Artist: Roberts of Boston
Price:  S O L D

This Raphael Kirchner Ziegfeld Follies pastel is a newly unearthed piece of New York City theater history, and a once in a generation find. Part of a suite of five illustrations which feature the erotic and luminous showgirls who starred in the legendary theater revue Ziegfeld Follies and made the name synonymous with images of the most beautiful, brazen and sensuous women in early 20th century New York. This portrait of Vivienne Segal hung in the lobby of the historic Century Theater until it shut its doors in 1936.

Vivienne Segal: Ziegfeld Follies Century Girl

Artist: Raphael Kirchner
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A charming original oil on canvas by the hotly collected artist Pal Fried. A well rendered and colorful depiction of four young ballerinas at dance class. Fried, an artist of the Hungarian school, was known as an important figure painter, and most often depicted beautiful young women, nudes, ballerinas, Parisian society women, western scenes, horse racing, and an occasional seascape. His oil paintings and pastels have gained much deserved recognition and notoriety and are increasingly desirable.

Ballet Class

Artist: Pal Fried
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This original 1912 oil on board features actress Constance Collier in her role of Pallas Athene in the Beerbohm Tree production of Ulysses. This stylized art nouveau depiction in the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic was by the well listed artist Charles Buchel and a similiar illustration of the actress by Buchel hangs in the London V & A museum. Buchel was a prolific versatile artist who depicted Edwardian and Victorian actors and actresses in period stage costumes. He designed numerous theatre programs and period postcards depicting dramatic scenes. Comes ready to hang in a fine period gesso ornate frame.

Constance Collier as Pallas Athene

Artist: Charles Buchel
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This is a suggestive and subtle 1929 oil on canvas painting featuring a pierrot and ballerina in a quiet 'behind the curtain' circus moment. This large scale stylized art deco work is mournful and gay all at once, evoking all of the tensions of jazz age culture. Italian-born Alphonse Palumbo studied in New York at the Art Students League under Louis Mora and Frank DuMond. He exhibited at the Allied Artists of America, the National Academy of Design and the Society of Independent Artists.

Pierrot and Ballerina Art Deco Interior Scene

Artist: Alphonse Palumbo
Price:  SOLD

 

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