This is an original painting by Earl MacPherson, king of the pinup artists.
It was painted in 1947 for either the Brown & Bigelow or Shaw-Barton calendar companies.
The image appeared as part of an Artist's Sketchpad pinup calendar in 1948, and then on matchbooks and other advertising art.
The Sketchpad (or Sketchbook) series featured a fully painted pinup in the center of the page, and 'roughs' of the same girl around her, as if the page was taken from a sketchbook. This was a popular format for calendars in the late 1940s and early 1950s. K.O. Munson and Bill Randall also did calendars in this style.
The art is a bit over 20 by 24 inches.
MacPherson was a contemporary of Gil Elvgren, Edward Runci, Zoe Mozert, Peter Driben, and many other great American pin-up artists.
This art is framed and matted professionally.
Authenticity guaranteed; this piece of art was previously owned by Max Allan Collins, the writer of several books on pin up art, and also the author of lots of mystery novels. He sold it to me through an intermediary (well-known collector, dealer, and author George Hagenauer - see his own galleries right here on this site for more).
I have had it for a bit less than ten years. Time to pass it on...
$2200, plus shipping, or pick it up in Chicago.
Please contact jt (AT) tydirium.net
