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Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

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William Medcalf

This beautiful oil on illustration board painting was created by artist and illustrator William Medcalf as an advertisement for Bavaria brand beer. An inviting, rosy-cheeked brunette pin-up girl smiles while holding up a pilsner of delicious, refreshing Bavaria beer. She also wears Bavaria branded earrings. This has been signed by the artist in the lower […]

Bavaria Beer Girl

Artist: William Medcalf

Filed Under: Pin-Up & Glamour Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1940s, bavaria, Bill Medcalf, breweriana, Calendar, midcentury, pin up, William Medcalf
Added to Gallery: November 11, 2019

      A large format, detailed preliminary calendar illustration by William Medcalf for a calendar commission that was titled Lesson Learned for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. These humorous “Music Lesson” themed images resonated with the 1950s American public. In this stellar example, two dazed kids are left scratching their foreheads after a […]

Lesson Learned

Artist: William Medcalf

Filed Under: Illustration & Advertising Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: Bill Medcalf, Brown & Bigelow, original calendar art, original illustration art, William Medcalf
Added to Gallery: July 27, 2018

William Medcalf, the top tier pin-up artist and illustrator created this engaging bathing beauty pin-up as a preliminary artwork for the storied Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

She Loves Me

Artist: William Medcalf

Filed Under: Pin-Up & Glamour Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1940s, bathing beauty, Brown & Bigelow, glamour, original calendar art, original illustration art, pin up, risque, William Medcalf
Added to Gallery: January 20, 2018

      In this signed oil on illustration board painting by William Medcalf, a breezy young blonde pin-up dream girl is seen contently sipping Grapette Soda on a bustling summer day as a man in the background prepares a sailboat, presumably to take her out for a lovely day on the lake. This large […]

Carefree Summer – Grapette Soda Girl

Artist: William Medcalf

Filed Under: Pin-Up & Glamour Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1940s, advertising, Bill Medcalf, Golden Age, Grapette Soda, original illustration art, pin up, Soda Advertising, The Golden Gallery, William Medcalf
Added to Gallery: July 6, 2015

In this nostalgic themed oil and graphite on board, Bill Medcalf offers a view of a sleigh arriving at a rural family home. Evoking memories of ancestral Christmases past, the scene features a smiling group of three generations of kin enjoying a snowy morning. The mustached man and woman holding a baby are featured in many images created by Medcalf, and presumably these were intended to become a year long calendar, which tells a story of a family through time.

Winter Wonderland

Artist: William Medcalf

Filed Under: Illustration & Advertising Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, Brown & Bigelow, christmas, holiday, nostalgic, original calendar art, study, William Medcalf, winter
Added to Gallery: June 14, 2011

Capitalizing on the mid-1950s nostalgia for a lost vision of the American heartland, William Medcalf presents a view of a 19th century midwest barn dance, with smiling couples who appear plucked straight of out of the 1955 Academy Award winning musical Oklahoma!. This large, colorful, highly expressive oil on board with graphite highlights was created as the final preliminary painting for a published Brown & Bigelow calendar image. During the 50s, Bil Medcalf was known as one of the company’s star illustrators, and created numerous 12 page calendar series based around themes of classic Americana.

Barn Dance

Artist: William Medcalf

Filed Under: Illustration & Advertising Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, Brown & Bigelow, country, original calendar art, study, William Medcalf
Added to Gallery: June 6, 2011

During the 50s, Bil Medcalf was one of Brown & Bigelow’s star illustrators, creating 12 page calendar series based around themes of classic Americana. Here, he evokes a classic 4th of July celebration with revelers enjoying a day at Riverside Park. From the soldier checking out the ravishing redhead disembarking her carriage, to the new parents cooing over their baby buggy, the scene evokes a vision of a simpler time, and a patriotic and nostalgic sense of 19th century America.

Riverside Park, 4th of July

Artist: William Medcalf

Filed Under: Illustration & Advertising Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, Brown & Bigelow, country, holiday, original calendar art, patriotic, study, William Medcalf
Added to Gallery: June 3, 2011

This nostalgic oil and graphite on illustration board, offers a peek into the early days of automotive touring. Bill Medcalf created this as a final presentation painting for one of Brown & Bigelow’s historically themed 12 month Americana calendars. In their finest Sunday clothes, a family taking a jaunt in their 1908-era Ford Model T find themselves lost on a country road. Bringing many of the classic archetypes of early motoring together, the male driver of the car refuses to look at the map his wife is consulting, while a farmer (who has likely never seen a car before) directs them in exactly the opposite direction than they were headed.

Country Drive

Artist: William Medcalf

Filed Under: Illustration & Advertising Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, american, automobilia, Brown & Bigelow, country, nostalgic, original calendar art, study, William Medcalf
Added to Gallery: June 3, 2011

During the 50s, Bil Medcalf was one of Brown & Bigelow’s star illustrators, creating 12 page calendar series based around themes of classic Americana. Here, he evokes a county fair, with sideshow attractions, and a boy enjoying his first ride on a horse, as his family beams with pride. The scene evokes a vision of a simpler time, and a patriotic and nostalgic sense of 19th century America. This large, colorful, highly expressive oil on board with graphite highlights was created as the final preliminary painting for a published Brown & Bigelow calendar image. Each month likely celebrated a different seasonal landmark.

The County Fair

Artist: William Medcalf

Filed Under: Illustration & Advertising Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1950s, child, country, nostalgic, William Medcalf
Added to Gallery: June 3, 2011

A large and well rendered oil painting by William Medcalf, likely created for The Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company. This dates from the 1940s to early 50s; an era of situationally challenged cheesecake themed entanglements. In this instance, a red head bathing beauty has been startled (or perhaps merely amused) by a green frog. William Medcalf was a leading and prolific illustrator who worked in a variety of styles. His surviving pin-up commissions are especially coveted and this is a fresh-to-the-market, masterful work.

Bathing Beauty Startled by a Frog

Artist: William Medcalf

Filed Under: Pin-Up & Glamour Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: 1940s, american, bathing beauty, Brown & Bigelow, cheesecake, Great American Pin-up, original calendar art, pin up, risque, William Medcalf
Added to Gallery: September 14, 2009

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