When it comes to creating an Art Deco atmosphere in the home it’s the details that count. And that includes what hangs on the walls. This post will look at some of the pieces that we have in our Art Deco collections. While it is nice to have original art work, this is all about appearance and not if the piece is original or reproduction.
ANTHONY’S COLLECTION
The First Piece
In 1982 when I started to collect Art Deco this was the first piece of art I purchased. I came across this reproduction of William Welsh’s Winter at the Englishtown Auction, a huge flea market not far from where I use to live in New Jersey. The only problem with it was the frame it had. Here is a recreation of how it looked when I found it.
A recreation of the frame my print of Winter was in when I bought it in 1982.
Being 18 years old, and very snobbish, I felt the frame lacked sophistication. I asked the vendor if I could buy the print only. Being very nice he said yes and let me have it for only $5.00.
And here is that print after I had it matted and reframed. It has been with me now for almost forty years and it will always have a special place in my home.
Winter. By William Weldon Welsh for the February, 1931 cover of the Woman’s Home Companion.
Tamara de Lempicka
FRANCE – JANUARY 01, 1931: Tamara de Lempicka, in a dress by Marcel Rochas. Paris. Photography by d’Ora, around 1931. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images) [Tamara de Lempicka in einem Kleid von Marcel Rochas. Paris. Photographie von d’Ora, um 1931.]
In our opinion, one of the artists who really exemplifies the Art Deco era, would be the Polish artist, Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980). Of course original Lempicka paintings will never be in our price range. But modern reproductions suffice just fine. Her style, subject matter (both classical and modern) and use of bold colors instantly adds a sophisticated Deco touch to any room.
Portrait of Dr. Boucard and Portrait of Madame M.
Here are two prints of de Lempicka’s work that I framed myself. Because they are not a standard size, the bottom of the both extend below the matte. But it was a lot less expensive than getting them professionally done and they still give the effect I was after. On the left is Portrait of Dr. Boucard (1929) and on the right is Portrait of Madame M (1932).
Portrait of Madame Allan Bott.
The Portrait of Madame Allan Bott (1929) I have on the landing of my staircase. I love Lempicka’s use of stylized backgrounds of either abstract geometric shapes as in the portrait of the doctor or of a cityscape.
Pochoir & Collotype
These next two pieces, I do not know much about, but they are vintage. What I do know by looking at them is the pochoir is typical 1920s and the collotype is pure late 1930s. The pochoir and collotype that I own are very feminine. I believe young ladies were their target audience.
Pochoir print. Typical style of mid to late 1920s with its elaborate, stylized background and 18th century subject matter. Still in its original matte and frame.
Pochoir is a stencil process. In fact pochoir is French for stencil. Becoming popular in the the 1890s pochoir fell from favor in the later 1930s. But at its height during the Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras, many pieces prints were made using the process. Brushing ink through precut stencils created each layer of the print or added color to a black and white image. Click here for more about the technique and history of pochoir process. I would love to know more about this print. It is French and signed, unfortunately, I cannot read the stamp signature in the bottom right corner. There may be more information underneath the matte, but I am not so curious to take it out of its frame.
The pochoir print on my bedroom wall next to a 1950s photolithography print of the George Washington Bridge.
While my pochoir print is intricately elaborate, with its detail, my collotype is a model of streamline simplicity. A collotype is a dichromate photographic process invented in 1855. I won mine from the online auction site Everything But the House last year. I did need to frame the print as the original frame from the 1930s was falling apart.
My Art Deco collotype inside its original frame. Image from ebth.com.
And here is the collotype in its new frame. I had the framer reuse the original glass.
If I am to be completely honest, I find the image to be a bit creepy. She seems to be somewhere between a “Stepford Wife” and one of the children from The Village of the Damned. But it is very late 1930’s and goes well in that corner of my TV room.
Collotype in the corner of my TV room, with a Lloyd Manufacturing Co. chair and an unmarked uplighter floor lamp.
I wanted the new frame to match the original as close as possible. I think my choice keeps the 1930s flavor of the original.
Woodcuts & Etching
Also hanging around in my TV are two woodcuts and etching, from the 1930s and 1940s. The etching was another purchase from the Golden Nugget Flea Market, readers of this blog know that is one of my favorite places to go antiquing. I am particularly partial to Depression era urban scenes in what has come to be known as “the WPA style”.
About seven years ago I bought this woodcut from the 272 Antiques & Collectibles Marketplace in Stevens, Pennsylvania (just south of Adamstown).
Woodcut from a 1941 calendar.
I believe it is from a 1941 calendar produced by a Chicago art school as a fund raiser. I was struck by the use of the bold orange ink instead of the usually black. And the stylization of the lumberjacks sawing a log is very characteristic of late American Depression era art.
But my favorite of the woodcuts that I own, is “The Wounded Stag”. Yes, the subject matter is on the gruesome side, but it is a striking piece of art. Engraved by the Polish artist, Stanislaw Ostoja-Chrostowski (1897 – 1947), in 1930 and featured in an exhibit of lithography and wood engravings sponsored by the Art Institute of Chicago.
Woodcut “The Wounded Stag” (1931) by Stanislaw Ostoja-Chrostowski. Sold by the Art Institute of Chicago.
For $5.00 dollars one could purchase “The Wounded Stag” from the show, unframed. The date on my print is 1931 and the frame gives every indication of being from that time as well. There seems to be two versions of this image, a smaller size one is in the collection of the Dallas Museum of Art. According to the show catalog bookplates by Chrostowski were for sale for $10.00. It is possible that the smaller version is one of the bookplates.
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As I mentioned earlier, I love the look of Depression era / WPA style art. So when I came across the etching titled “Outskirts” (1940) at the Golden Nugget Flea Market I quickly snatched it up. This bleak winter scene features a few men near a railroad trestle and some factories in what could be the Bronx or Queens, New York.
“Outskirts” (1940) by Jacob Friedland. New York City WPA Art Project.
Jacob Friedland is the artist. There is not much information about him. He is most associated as the engraver for the etchings of Louis Lozowick. In 1933 both Lozowick and Friedland taught etching and engraving at the John Reed Club School of Art in Manhattan. “Outskirts” is one of the few pieces of art that is by Friedland, the other is a similar subject called “Backyards”. “Outskirts” is a commission of the New York City WPA Art Project a branch of the Federal Art Project (FAP). To date it is the only actual artwork of the WPA that I own. But I’m always on the lookout for more.
Anthony’s TV room showing his collection of 1930s / 1940s etching and woodcuts.
The above photos show the woodcuts and etching on the wall in my TV room. They help to deflect attention away from my late 1990s loveseat, one piece of furniture that I really want to replace.
CHRIS’ COLLECTION
As mentioned, we prefer original art when possible. Sometimes we luck out. Here is a Navy campaign advertisement by J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951) we picked up at an antique mall several years ago. The Navy kept using this ad from 1918 – World War II. Leyendecker is best known for his Arrow Collars series. And, his work graced covers for The Saturday Evening Post, Collier’s, Literary Digest and more. He understood not only the importance of art as art, but also the emotional connection between the picture and the viewer.
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Original 1918 Navy poster by J.C. Leyendecker
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With the exception of the Leyendecker poster, I lucked out and found all of the following at my local Goodwill.
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Drink posters are always popular. Colorful and dynamic, an original print will easily set you back thousands of dollars. Good quality reproductions can be purchased at extremely reasonable prices. And, reproductions are a more manageable size for the average home.
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“Bitter Campari” is by Spiratello Leonetto Cappiello (1875-1942) and designed in 1912. The original poster size is 38.98 x 27.17 inches.
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Spiratello Leonardo Cappiello – 1921 (repro)
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“Cognac Jacques” is a reproduction of a poster by Camille Bouchet (1799 – 1890). The 1887 original measures 66 ¼ x 50 inches. During his lifetime, Bouchet is noted for producing his work in a variety of sizes and finishes to make his work accessible to the consumer (and, no doubt increase his income). This advertisement was used and remained immensely popular through 1925. It may not be a deco period piece, but certainly was part of the art deco period. Wouldn’t it look nice in your deco room?
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Cognac Jacques – Bouchet – 1910 (repro)
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“Kina” is based on the original by American artist Robys (Robert Wolff, 1905-1977). The original 1937 art has the word LILLET between Kina and the bottom text. An original poster is 79 x 52 inches. Hope you have a lot of wall space!
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Kina – Robys – 1937 (repro)
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“Champagne” is by J. Stall (1874-1933) and designed in 1930. Like “Kino”, the original is quite large at 63 x 46.6 inches. Very little is known about the artist though he may have used the alias J. Spring.
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Champagne – J. Stall – circa 1930 (repro)
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“Spumanti” is circa 1920 by Carlo Nicco (1883-1973). The original artwork has the text “Martini & Rossi” and “TORINO” under the text shown. Little information is available about this artist.
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Spumanti – Carlo Ricco – 1920 (repro)
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“Martini” is a contemporary work by Steve Forney. A commercial artist, he purposely emulates the art deco style with a modern twist.
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Martini – contemporary art
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In the thirties style is “Brook Farm” by contemporary artist, Ruth Franklin. This is an artist’s proof – essentially a test run before final production. Originally from Kent, England, she now lives and works from her home in Decatur, Georgia.
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Brook Farm – contemporary art, Ruth Franklin
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Hoyland Bettinger (1890-1950) created a series of coastal wood engravings in the 1930’s. This is an original work entitled “Perce Fisherman”. Bettinger was born in Lima, NY and relocated to Newton Lower Falls, Mass. He vacationed frequently in Perce, Quebec and later moved to California. While living and working in Carmel, he slipped on some loose rocks and fell to his death.
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Perce Fisherman – Hoyland Bettinger, original art, circa 1930
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“The Café De Paris” is another original work we own. This light-hearted Parisian scene is by French Artist, Marie Louise Ogier (1912-2003).
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Circa 1930 – original by Marie Louise Ogier
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Produced between 1930-1939, my original Diana the Huntress wall plaque is large and heavy. I purchased this at a antique store Indiana. This example has a steel core built up with plaster gypsum and has its original factory gesso coating.
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1930’s Diana the Huntress plaque as displayed in my living room. Quite the focal point!
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There isn’t a lot of information online. However, my research indicates that some are incised with “G.R 1935”, mine is not. Both originals and lighter weight plastic reproductions are available online. And, depending on size and composition, are priced from several hundred to several thousands of dollars. They are available in sizes from 18 inches to 33.5 inches.
While my example has a gilded scarf, others are completely plain or heavily ornamented with silver and gold leaf. You can also find examples backed with mirror.
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So, here you have just a sampling of our art collections. Whether an original work of art or a good quality reproduction, if it brings you joy, it’s worth the price! Don’t forget to check those bins at your local thrift store. Or, dig a little at the flea market. You just never know what you’ll find hanging around.
Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)
