Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

victorian

An original Brown & Bigelow published illustration for calendar use by their art director Clair V. Fry. Fry studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, the Chicago Art Institute and the Minneapolis Art Institute. He was Art Director of Brown and Bigelow for 35 years, working with Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish and N. C. Wyeth. He taught at St. Paul School of Arts and Sciences and has frequently conducted painting workshops. He retired with his wife to Sun City, Arizona and was a member of the Arizona Watercolor Association.

Hatted Glamour Girl With Demitasse

Artist: Clair Fry

An early example of a fine art glamour painting, depicting “Birute”, a 14th century Lithuanian princess. Original commissioned artwork for calendar reproduction by Hoover and Sons. This oil on canvas is reproduced in The Great American Pin-Up (Martignetti and Meisel) on page 25, fig #15. Along with Angelo Asti, Whitroy was a prolific Art Nouveau era Victorian glamour artist.

Birute Lithuanian Princess

Artist: Hy Whitroy

A large Victorian era watercolor by famed illustrator Albert Beck Wenzell of Art Nouveau beauties amidst angels. Wenzell is best known for his illustrated book The Passing Show published by Collier’s in 1903. He did mural work for the New Amsterdam Theater in New York City at the turn of the last century and did numerous early 1900’s magazine covers including the December 1906 cover for The Saturday Evening Post.

Victorian Beauties with Angels

Artist: Albert Wenzell

 

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