Vaughn Bode - Feb. 14, 1958 - Early Das Kampf

I purchased these from a very nice man (Rick Falcon) who was married to Vaughn Bode's widow for a time. These sure look to be authentic, are dated Feb-14-58 on the two larger pieces and signed "Von"...

I was told Vaughn Bode signed his teenaged earlier works like this, before settling his more classic signature style... If anyone else has a piece signed like this of these earlier years, I'd love to know...

Thanks,

-Vaughn

Update: 10/1/2013

While writing the rest of this update, I realized this was one of the very first pieces I ever "laughingly" matted. I was just learning to do the math and hadn't even picked up my bevel cutter yet. The original pic was before I became A CAF Premium member, so it was low-res and behind glass to boot. I have now provided updated pics, and determined to re-mat this giving the pieces the credit they are due...

On with what brought me here today:

On eBay today I did find a reference to Sept. 17, 1965 where Vaughn Bode did indeed sign his name "Von" in his earlier years. From the eBay item I have included pictures and the description for the sellers item.

"This is the September 17, 1965 issue of the Syracuse University Daily Orange student newspaper containing early work of Vaughn (Von) Bode. this issue contains a tribute to (then) recently deceased Syracuse Alumni, writer Shirley Jackson, best known as the author of the short story, The Lottery. This tribute is accompanied by an illustration by Bode---one of only a few illustrations he created over the years. He also drew a daily single panel student oriented cartoon titled Orange Ivy and there is an example in this issue also. This is a rare opportunity to have two very different examples of Bode's early work when he still signed them Von."

I also found this article on Rick and his time with Barbara and Mark Bode, until here untimely death on June 27th 2007. It's a very nice read:

"Too soon, too soon. Barbara Falcon, who was known universally as "Barbara Bode," has left this life. Barbara was the former wife of the brilliant underground cartoonist Vaughn Bode and the mother of his lizard spawn--the artist Mark Bode.

The passing of this prismatic and charismatic soul is a heavy loss for those who knew her personally and to the Graff community.

She was the spark for Vaughn's "Bode Broads," his unique way of drawing pinup in a recognizable fashion. To Vaughn, Barbara represented the most idealized form of feminine beauty. The vision of Vaughn's Bode Broads is a style that's appealed to the most influential and prolific Graff artists of our time. Bode Broads can be seen in graffiti art all over the universe. Barbara's moon-like face and curvaceous body type launched a thousand walls, worldwide.

"My father did hundreds of characters based on her image and some of them really captured her spirit, she was the original inspiration for all Bode Broads to come and ever since," said Mark.

Barbara's very nature was too complex to sort out, yet paradoxically she was an open book of the most fragile kind. She possessed great physical beauty, razor wit, keen intellect, and immense empathy. Still, one never wanted to cross the Sicilian Queen; she'd cut you off quicker than a piece of salami.

She was born Barbara Hawkins, in Utica New York, in 19xx. At the age of 16, the sultry-eyed teenager began dating a square-looking Vaughn. The couple eventually married against her parents' wishes. The intensity and dysfunction of their 11-year marriage was an event that Barbara tried to process until the end of her life.

The year of Vaughn's untimely death in 1975, she met and married Rick Falcon, the brother of Vaughn's sister-in-law. Rick was always the more normal father and husband that Barbara yearned for after the bizarre and tumultuous period with Vaughn. "After meeting Rick," Mark recalls, "it seemed like Mom and I had landed gently on a peaceful earth after we had just ridden on the tail of a space cowboy comet which was Vaughn's life with us."

Rick was Barbara's ultimate care-giver and loving husband until the end.

Rest in Peace Barbara. "

Update 11/13/2013:

I finally got around to presenting and preserving these early Von Bode pieces properly.