“A storyteller with a brush, a custodian of the past” is how illustrator Tom Lovell once described himself. Lovell is regarded as one of the 20th century’s leading Western artists, with his work including figurative paintings of important historical events, portraits of homespun American life and thought-provoking illustrations for publications such as Life, National Geographic and The Saturday Evening Post.
Born in 1909 in New York City, Lovell spent his childhood in Nutley, New Jersey, where he developed a keen interest in art and Native American culture. He often visited New York’s American Museum of Natural History, where he would sketch Native American clothing, weapons and artifacts.
Lovell studied art at Syracuse University, where he roomed with future well-known illustrator Harry Anderson. While there, he began his illustration career by selling his work to pulp magazines. Later, he illustrated for publications such as The American, Cosmopolitan and Women’s Home Companion.
During World War II, Lovell enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve and created illustrations for the Marine Corps’s Leatherneck magazine and the Marine Corps Gazette. He also completed several large paintings chronicling historical military events; they are now displayed at the Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, DC.
After the war, Lovell continued illustrating for magazines like Collier’s, Redbook, Ladies’ Home Journal and McCall’s, which featured “Day of Yellow Flowers,” one of his better-known illustrations. He contributed a series of historical works, including his famous Civil War painting “Surrender at Appomattox,” to National Geographic.
Throughout the 1960s, he was increasingly fascinated with the American Southwest. In 1975, Lovell and his family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he found inspiration for his landscapes that depict Native American and Old West culture.
Lovell received numerous accolades throughout his career. In 1974, the Society of Illustrators named him a Hall of Fame Laureate. In 1992, the National Academy of Western Art and National Cowboy Museum honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Lovell is the only artist to have won the National Cowboy Museum’s invitational Prix de West exhibition twice.
Lovell died in 1997. His illustrations and paintings continue to be prized by Western art and Americana collectors.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of Tom Lovell’s paintings.
Happy Endings
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Linen Signature: Signed and Dated Story illustration for "Farewell Without Regret" by Sarah-Elizabeth Rodger for Good Housekeeping, published July 1940, page 58. The...
Linen, Oil
$15,000
Artist Muse
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right
Canvas, Oil
Below Deck
By Tom Lovell
Located in Miami, FL
Charles Martignette Heritage Auctions, This is a Wonderfully rendered work with high level of detail and color saturation. Norman Rockwellesqu...
Gouache
Trapper's Morning
By Tom Lovell
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original painting signed by the Artist on lower right.
Gouache
“Suddenly he was the lover she’d sent away so long ago.”
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Magazine story illustration for “Wherever You Walk” by Mary Thayer Muller for Cosmopolitan, published February 1956, page 26. The romantic story is introduced by the magazine as fol...
Paint
"Every Sunday, Mowbray and the boy had dinner together"
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Approximate Date: 1957 Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Lower Left Size: 18.70" x 27.00" Story illustration for The Master Move by George Loveridge, published in Good Housekeeping, November 1957. An excerpt from the story reads: “In the evening Mowbray dined at a mahogany table designed to seat ten persons. To his left, in an intricate, gilded frame, hung an oil portrait of his father — a man with a majestic, full gray beard and the same beaked nose that his son had, but with milder eyes (p. 237)…Every Sunday, Mowbray and the boy had dinner together, the two of them at the long, broad, polished table under the eyes of Peter Mowbray. Mowbray often had to fly hundreds of miles to be on time for Sunday dinner with his son, but he did not once fail to be there.” (p. 239-240) A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...
Board, Oil
Penobscot Bay Expedition
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Lower Right Tom Lovell was well known for his thought provoking illustrations for Life magazine, The Saturday Evening Post and National Geographic. He was the first artist to win the National Academy of Western Art's highest honor, the Prix de West, twice. This lot was painted circa 1960 just before he was commissioned to paint a series of Civil War battle...
Oil, Board
$53,000
Attorney at Sea
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed TOM/LOVELL (lower left); also titled Attorney/at Sea (on the reverse)
Canvas, Oil
“He’s a dear, but a type you perhaps haven’t met before”
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Magazine story illustration for “A Song for Miss Julie” by Michael Foster for Hearst’s International Combined with Cosmopolitan, published March 1944, page 39. The tale is described as: “A delicious story about a couple of Broadway playwrights who invade the Old South looking for scandal and come up drenched in magnolia.” The full caption reads: “I think someone should talk to you about men of Stephen’s type, my dear,’ said Mrs. Kimbro. ‘He’s a dear, but a type you perhaps haven’t met before.’ Miss Julie gasped. ‘But Mrs. Kimbro!’” A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...
Canvas, Oil
$125,000
“A Date for the Baby Sitter” Magazine story illustration for Good Housekeeping
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Story illustration for “A Date for the Baby Sitter” by Eileen Herbert Jordan for Good Housekeeping, published December 1958, illustrated pages 58-59 The full caption reads: “Thus Peggy went forth—sailed might be the better word—escorted by part of the Navy.” The snowy scene features a woman and two sailors leaving the house at Christmas time. Exhibited: The Triumph of Winter, National Arts Club, New York, December 16, 2013- January 5, 2014 Date: 1958 Medium: Oil on Board Dimensions: 23.20" x 33.50" Signature: Signed Lower Left A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...
Oil, Board
Gondola In Venice, 1947
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Masonite Signature: Signed Upper Left Original Use: Interior Illustration for The American Magazine Excellent Condition This luminous, expressive oil on masonite wa...
Masonite, Oil
The Crime Scene, Original Magazine Story Illustration
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Illustration for True magazine, presumably published February 1956. Nighttime scene of policemen and bloodhounds investigating a murder on a cobblestone street. Approximate Date: 1956 Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Lower Right Size: 22.70" x 16.20" Tom Lovell Biography: A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...
Board, Oil
Up the Staircase
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed and Dated Lower Left Dimensions: Sight Size 30.50" x 34.75," Framed 36.00" x 39.50"
Canvas, Oil
"You love my island already” Story illustration for Woman’s Home Companion
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Original magazine story illustration for “A Summer to Remember” by Marjorie Marks for Woman’s Home Companion, published January 1948, pages 20-21. The full caption reads: “‘You love ...
Canvas, Oil
The Glass Fortress
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signed Lower Right by Artist Lawrence Williams and Nell O’Day, “The Glass Fortress,” American Magazine, August 1950, illustrated, n.p. Daniel Zimmer, Tom Lovell: Illustrator, Decatu...
Oil
"Farewell Without Regret"
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signature: Signed Lower Left Medium: Oil Paint Story illustration for "Farewell Without Regret" by Sarah-Elizabeth Rodger for Good Housekeeping, published September 1940, page 47. ...
Oil
$35,000
Bridal White
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right and Titled on reverse Dimensions: 28.13" x 25.13" (71.45 cm x 63.83 cm) Literature: Temple Bailey, Bridal White, The American Mag...
Canvas, Oil
$11,000
Gold Mining Camp
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Dimensions: Sight Size 18.75" x 26.00;" Framed 26.00" x 33.00"
Canvas, Oil
Formal Affair
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Date: July 1942 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 36.00" x 26.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left Illustration for Cosmopolitan magazine. Tom Lovell’s illustrations range from adventur...
Canvas, Oil
“I had the pleasure of knowing your dear departed husband, ” Cosmopolitan
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Magazine story illustration for “Saratoga Trunk” by Edna Ferber for Hearst’s International Combined with Cosmopolitan, published July 1941, pages 42-43. The full caption reads: “‘Mr...
Canvas, Oil
Blondin Crossing Niagara
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Masonite Signature: Signed Lower Left This piece was published as an illustration in True Magazine titled "Blondin Crossing Niagara" in 1953. Born Jean-François Grave...
Masonite, Oil
Love in the Mist, Magazine Illustration
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Love in the Midst, Magazine Story Illustration Ladies Home Journal, June 1959 Tom Lovell had an extreme attention for detail and rarely completed more then a dozen major oil pa...
Board, Oil
Memoirs Of Casanova, Paperback Cover
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Cover for The Memoirs of Casanova (Bantam books #FB-415, 1957): A New Edition of the French Translation by Lowell Blair Memoirs of Casanova, Paperback Cover, 1957 Tom Lovell ha...
Board, Oil
$903Sale Price|20% Off
H 26.38 in W 31.89 in D 1.97 in
French Mid Century Still Life, Tablescape, Nature Morte. Oil on Board.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Large scale mid 20th Century French, oil on board, still life, tablescape, interior view, by Claude Barthélémy. Signed bottom left, presented in fine carved wood and gilt frame, with...
Oil, Board
View Of The City
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Early 20th Century European School, view of the city, with buildings in the background, gouache on paper unsigned in a beautiful custom made Haydenryk frame under glass.
Gouache, Board
$2,268,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 38.5 in W 29.25 in
Kees Van Dongen Circus Performers 1900s Vintage Vibrant Figure Fauvist Signed
By Kees van Dongen
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Les Artistes du Cirque" is an original painting in ink, watercolor, and gouache on paper by leading Fauvist artist Kees Van Dongen, signed in the lower right. In the piece, two circus performers stand against against a wall. On the left, a pale woman in a blue leotard with red flowers on the shoulder stands with her arms crossed, looking out at the viewer. The painter fills in her tights with delicate white brushstrokes, lending them an almost iridescent appearance. Her strawberry blond hair is piled on top of her hair according to the fashion of the period. On the right, an African man stands in a vivid orange toga, looking somewhere off to the left. His feet are clad in bright white shoes...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
$12,652
H 39.38 in W 31.5 in D 1.97 in
Sweet dreams in the Moonlight -21st century interior painting with figures
By Ksenya Istomina
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Ksenya Istomina 'Sweet Dreams in the Moonlight' 100 x 80 cm Oil on linen Painted after life, the artist always works with a real scenery. Her realistic but impressionistic paintings...
Linen, Oil
"Somewhere in Denver, " Oil Painting
By Suchitra Bhosle
Located in Denver, CO
Suchitra Bhosle's "Somewhere in Denver" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a dark haired woman, brushing her hair, wearing a translucent white shift around her as she...
Oil, Board
$530Sale Price|62% Off
H 21.5 in W 24.5 in D 1 in
Donald Duck and Le Petit Ecolier, Early 20th Century Oil on Board.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Early 20th century oil on board portrait of a young schoolboy 'Le Petit Écolier', with Donald Duck, by Pierre Villain (French, 1880-1950). Signed top ri...
Oil, Board
$414Sale Price|20% Off
H 15.56 in W 17.52 in D 0.79 in
Colourful French Still Life, Fruit and Coffee Pot. Oil on Board.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late 20th century oil on board of a colourful still-life, fruit and a coffee pot by Bill Brown. Signed and dated 1979 to the bottom left and signed, titled ...
Oil, Board
$500
H 7.25 in W 7 in
Puppy Dog & Kitten Greeting Card Illustration painting (Children's room decor)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Ferd Sondern (b.1923) Puppy and Bluebird, 1977. Pencil, gouache and watercolor on illustration board. Complete panel measures 7 x 7.5 inches. Signed lower left. Credited on verso...
Watercolor, Gouache, Illustration Board
$88,273
H 15.75 in W 12.6 in
Paris : Winter Day at Montmartre - Original signed gouache painting - Cerificate
By Maurice Utrillo
Located in Paris, IDF
Maurice UTRILLO Paris : Winter Day at Montmartre Original gouache painting Signed bottom right 40 x 32 cm at view (c. 16 x 13") Painted c. 1934-36 Presented in a golden wood frame ...
Gouache, Paper
$1,153
H 5.32 in W 5.32 in D 0.79 in
19th C French Portrait Miniature, A Fashionable Lady, after Jean-Baptiste Isabey
Located in Cotignac, FR
Portrait miniature, French, 19th century of a fine lady, oil on vellum on card. The miniature is not signed but is of very good quality. Presented in a period wood frame with a chase...
Parchment Paper, Watercolor, Gouache, Vellum
Sailors at Cafe du Globe
By Charles Rocher
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Charles Rocher (1890-1962. Sailors, ca. 1920s. Gouache on paper. Sheet measures 19 x 25 inches. Considerable damage and loss as depicted. Signed lower left.
Gouache
$600
H 9 in W 7 in
Puppy Dog & Duckling Greeting Card Illustration painting (Children's room decor)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Ferd Sondern (b.1923) Puppy and Duckling, 1977. Pencil, gouache and watercolor on illustration board. Complete panel measures 7 x 9 inches. Signed lower left. Credited on verso. ...
Watercolor, Gouache, Illustration Board
Man and Woman Kissing in Swamp
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Unknown Signature: Unsigned Contact for exact dimensions.
Paint
The Mutiny
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed lower Left
Oil, Board
Balloonists Struggle to Escape a Doomed Gondola
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Lower Left Provenance: Commissioned by the National Geographic Society. Exhibitions: Stockbridge, Massachusetts, The Norman Rockwell Museum,...
Oil, Board
"You're Not to Tell Anyone"
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 32.00" x 35.00" Signature: Signed Lower Right Story illustration for “Mrs. Parkington” by Louis Bromfield for Cosmopolitan, published November 1942, pages 56 and 57. The full caption reads: “‘And you’re not to tell anyone where you’re going or that you’re going away together,’ Mrs. Parkington said as she told Janie and Ned her plan.” A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...
Canvas, Oil
Saturday Evening Post Story Illustration
By Tom Lovell
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Date: 1942 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 36.00" x 26.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left Story illustration for Saturday Evening Post magazine, 1942, page 47. A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...
Canvas, Oil