1940s Wall Decorations

Titled ‘Net Work’ buffalo artist James Koenig paintings reflected many phases of American painting styles including scenes from the WPA period, abstract...

In a brilliant interpretation of the Classic zodiac symbol for Taurus, Andrew Szoeke here depicts the bull with Europa, evoking the Greek mythological story where Zeus takes the form...

Impressionistic tempera painting of a still life with dog and flowers in a vintage giltwood frame by listed artist Marcel Vertes (1895-1961.)

Condition: Original Vintage Condition Designer: Josef Schwarzfischer Manufacturer: Josef Schwarzfischer Materials: Gilt-wood Frame, Oil On Canvas Style: Traditional

Original vintage World War Two propaganda poster - New Zealand fights - featuring a colorful bold design depicting a New Zealand soldier in uniform and wearing a helmet leaning on hi...

An oil on board painting by Australian painter W. Hayward Veal (1913-1968), entitled Nocturne No. 4, depicting a night scene of a park and tree in the foreground with a man walking, ...

Great pair of Italian carved and giltwood Lions. Circa1940. These are sure to make a statement, these are perfect for so many spaces! 30h x 30w

Falcucci Robert (1900-1989). A large oil on board depicting a nude bathing female figure, circa 1940s, signed lower left Falcucci.

Clearly influenced by Raoul Dufy, Marie Laurencin and Hollywood set designs, this striking depiction of two nude female figures around a table with a bowl of fruit was painted in 194...

Striking in conception and execution, this half-portrait of a handsome, blue-eyed young man -- his back to a mirror and his arm folded over a chair -- was painted by Marion Huse, who...

Original vintage winter sport poster - Ski in Old Quebec Chateau Frontenac - featuring stunning artwork depicting a smiling lady with blonde hair wearing a patterned pink jumper with small images of snow covered chalets and trees, mountains and skiers on it, standing on top of a snowy slope holding a ski pole and looking up to the blue sky in the background, the title in stylised white lettering above and in black below. The historic Chateau Frontenac hotel opened in 1893 in Old Quebec Canada (now the luxury hotel Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac); this iconic building is located in the old walled city by the St Lawrence River...

Original vintage World War Two National Savings home front poster - Keep on Saving Salute the Soldier - featuring an image of soldiers in uniform marching w...

This fresh and vibrant portrait of a young woman with glowing blond hair and a blue 1940s frock is one of the finest World War II vintage portraits we have ever offered. Her complex...

Here is a stunning painting by Bay Area California modernist painter Richard Bowman (1918-2001). This work is from his highly-desired 1940's Rock and Su...

Stunningly sculpted and highly evocative of a harrowing period in American history, this pair of original plaster maquettes, beautifully finished in an old gold paint, were made by Brenda Putnam in preparation for her 1941 bronze medallion commissioned by the Society of Medalists...

A very interesting and unusual Lancaster Covered Bridge Original Oil Painting by artist J. Earle Pfoutz. The painting is produced on artist board and comes complete with what appears to be an original artist decorated/painted frame. The painting is signed on the front by the artist and is dated 1936 on the rear. Overall frame Size approximately 28″ wide x 2″ deep x 22″ high J. Earle Pfoutz had a long and distinguished career as a self trained artist. More can be learned about him from reading this article produced by Gary Hawbaker at askART Earle Pfoutz Born: 1891 – Lancaster, Pennsylvania Died: 1957 Known for: Landscape, figure, still life painting An image of J Earle Pfoutz Biography from the Archives of askART J. Earle Pfoutz (John Earle Pfoutz) – (Oct 23, 1891-Nov 9, 1957) “A seventh generation descendant of a Swiss family which arrived in America early in the 17th Century, J. Earle Pfoutz was born in Lancaster, PA, son of John Bachman and Susan Allison Pfoutz. He painted houses for a living and pictures for a life. A self-taught artist, described as a primitive, he was distinctive for his vivid imagination and bold color application. He painted hundreds of Lancaster County scenes. Pfoutz traveled through the hills near his home and along the Susquehanna River in search of scenes. He began painting with a brush when he was fourteen, but added a palette knife after suffering an eye injury. He completed eighth grade in the Lancaster Public Schools and there his formal education ended. However, the Department of Public Instruction of the State of Pennsylvania thought so highly of his work as an artist that officials certified him as an art instructor and he taught for a year in the York (PA) public schools. He also was an art instructor under the program for disabled veterans, sponsored by the Veterans Administration, when he gave private instruction to veterans in their homes. In 1947, J. Earle Pfoutz finally earned national recognition as an artist. His painting, Opalescent October, was chosen by the Museum of Art of Dayton Ohio, to travel all over the country for a year with its Group Exhibition. Described as a “very colorful, calm scene, iridescent in color, sweeping in design,” the painting started on its journey around the country early in 1948. In an interview with the Sunday News (Lancaster, PA – Nov 2, 1947), Pfoutz stated that he didn’t know whether he was a “primitive” or an “impressionist.” No master taught him, no school channeled his style. “Sometimes I didn’t eat, but I always managed to paint,” he recalled. Many of his hundreds of canvases -most of them not sold, but given away to friends – found their way to other parts of the country. “I never remember the day when I did not love color,” Pfoutz said. “I was about 12 years old when I saw my first palette – a string of different colored paint paddles that graced the stores of that day. As a boy I had two great desires. One was to be able to eat all the strawberry jam I could, and the other to possess a string of those beautiful paint paddles. Well, I’ve got my fill of jelly, but I’ve never yet got my fill of beautiful colors.” In 1950, Pfoutz’s one man show of paintings made front page headlines in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal: “Most of the twenty oil paintings on exhibition are landscapes, although there are several interesting figure studies. Colors again, as in all Pfoutziana are rich and full-bodied, but for the most part not as startlingly as in some of the earlier work. Most of the paintings were done during the past year, and also reveal the painter’s characteristic heavy impasto technique, in which the rich swirls of paint carry their own message. Among the figures, The Banjo Picker, and The Magician, are the most provocative. Both are character studies; the first being of a tramp musician whose drab clothing is set-off by a luminous aqua blue background. Modern in feeling and treatment is The Magician, a clown-faced wizard whose spinning ball in the air suggests the fourth dimension – space. The use of the primary colors in this picture serves to emphasize the theme effectively. A large colorful landscape, Opalescent October, depicting rolling hills against a late afternoon sky is new to Lancastrians, as it has just returned from Dayton, Ohio, where it hung in the Dayton Art Institute. Another landscape with soft dreamy colors is Fantasie D’Autumne, and one of the loveliest pictures in the show. Pennsylvania Dutch Country is another with eye appeal, and was one of the works which was hung in the Old Customs House in Philadelphia during Pennsylvania Week, and before that in a collection of Pfoutz work in the same place. In deep contrast to the sunny skies and brilliant foliage of many of the pictures, is the somewhat morbid Worry, in which the center of interest is a tremendous rat. This, the painter explains, was symbolic of 1948 in China, which was ‘The Year of The Rat’ in the Chinese calendar. Background material for the picture was furnished to Pfoutz by author Pearl Buck. Other pictures include Autumn Prelude, Miners Village, painted at Cornwall, PA; Humid Day, Saint Peters Kierch, at Middletown, PA; Lady Pfoutz, inspired by the painter’s wife; Sun Flowers, Sentimental Journey, Gyne, Luzon Woman, Old Bridge, The Cow Path. Lemures, based on Roman mythology, and Ethiopian, painted from an ebony wood carving from Kenya Province, S. Africa.” In 1953, Pfoutz was installed as President of the Lancaster County Art Association. A. Z. Kruse, New York City artist, writer and member of the faculty of the Brooklyn College and the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, Manhattan, was the guest speaker. In January of 1953, thirty-five Pfoutz oils were exhibited at the Old Custom House in Philadelphia, PA under the sponsorship of the Carl Schurz Memorial Foundation. Several Lancaster County landscapes and covered bridges were included as well as Katy, a Pennsylvania Dutch scene. Symbolic paintings included End of the Second Day, the artist’s visualization of the second coming of Christ, and Twilight, typifying the grief of mothers of all lands for sons lost in battle. In June of 1953, a Pfoutz oil made history in Lancaster. From the Lancaster New Era: “For the first in local art history, a painting has been withdrawn from an exhibition because of objections from viewers and hostesses serving at the show. The painting, Jeune Fille, a standing nude done by Pfoutz, was one of the paintings in the annual spring exhibition of the Art Association and had become the center of the controversy. Pfoutz said he took the painting down… ‘graciously but reluctantly.’ ‘From an artistic standpoint, there is nothing offensive about the painting,’ Pfoutz said. ‘This community just wants its nudes with clothes on.’ “It is most brilliant in color, and because it is so brilliant I thought it would make a nice lively spot for the show. This is the first time I’ve had to take a picture off the walls. I substituted a seascape for it.’ Pfoutz said he felt the painting brought a lot of viewers to the show because it was so controversial. It had never been exhibited before. ‘If this had been shown in a metropolitan city,’ he commented, ‘people wouldn’t have given it a second glance. But the viewpoint here is more conservative, even though I don’t think moderns would have minded.’ He said he felt the painting was neither ‘objectionable nor pornographic,’ but had complied with the wishes of fellow members of the Art Association who telephoned him to relay the protests they had received. The art controversy was the first to arise here publicly since the showing of Amish Grandmother, an oil by William Gropper which was part of the Gimbel Pennsylvania exhibit at the Griest Building several years ago. — Numerous viewers of Amish Grandmother, [a painting showing an Amish woman holding a white goose], expressed themselves quite vocally, calling it an affront to the Plain Folk. But it stayed on exhibit throughout the length of the Gimbel show. Pfoutz expressed no rancor, implying that if Gropper could take it so could he.” After his death, there were several shows of Pfoutz’ work organized by his son J. Earle, Jr. J. Earle, Jr. also saw to it that President Eisenhower would receive an oil called The Cow’s Path. The president first saw the painting in 1950 when, as president of Columbia University, he visited Lancaster to address a student assembly at Franklin and Marshall College. After his address was over, the then Gen. Eisenhower stopped at the Fackenthal Library on the campus to view an exhibition of Pfoutz’s paintings. The Cow’s Path intrigued him. For some time, as his aides fumed to get him back on his time schedule, Eisenhower and Pfoutz talked, as artist to artist. Prior to his death, Pfoutz requested that The Cow’s Path be given to the President if he wanted it. The painting was presented to Ike at the White House in November of 1959. Mrs. Eisenhower owned a Pfoutz painting titled, In the Manor. Though house painting was his livelihood, he worked for Millersville State Teachers College (now a university) for a time during World War II, and called himself “the Chimney Sweep of MSTC.” During that period he knocked out a dizzying canvas in the surrealist style (he thought it was terrible) and got into the campus newspaper when one of the students spotted it. Earle Pfoutz was not the humble, downtrodden artist, not the Douanier Rousseau type at all. As he developed his skill and style through the years, he also fashioned a resilient confidence in himself as an artist. Whether he was building his own home (he built two) or painting one for somebody else, he never lost faith in his ultimate recognition—though he was never sure he would live to see it. Whether he was working as a rigger for a hoisting company, in the Stehli Silk Mill of Lancaster, carving Cloister-style chairs, decorating old chests, cementing bricks from the old Safe...

VENICE oil painting, featuring the Doges Palacio, Italian School, circa 1940s in its original 1940s frame. Signed M. Coloman, 20th century.  

- Czechoslovakia, 1952 - Museum of decorative Arts in Czech republic - suitable for framing - photographed by Illek and Paul jr

Original vintage World War Two propaganda poster - Back Them Up! Britain's new Airborne Army goes into action in Europe - featuring a dynamic battle scene depicting British soldiers in uniform wearing their maroon berets (the Red Berets of the Parachute Regiment created in 1942; nicknamed the Rote Teufel / Red Devils by the German troops) jumping out of a glider plane with their guns firing...

Outstanding 1940's oil on board painting in original custom shadowbox wood frame with distressed finish. The figural painting depicts an indigenous people...

Original vintage Air France travel poster advertising its worldwide air network / Air France Reseau Aerien Mondial. Great artwork featuring two white planes flying along multiple white lines around a globe with the red Air France seahorse...

Original vintage World War Two Home Front recycling poster - Bones Make Explosives Put Out All Bones For Salvage - featuring a great modernist graphic design by Reginald Mount (1906-...

Absolutely winning and full of charm, this book illustration depicts a bunny rabbit running across the land, the hilly landscape rich with browns and greens, and the sky a perfect blue. Painted in gouache on illustration board, the Sphinx mark -- one of the brands of the Weber company -- is visible on the reverse. This would make a perfect addition to the walls of a children's room, or a collection of American illustration art.

This brilliant Surrealist composition, with the stylization and exaggerated plant forms of Art Deco, was painted by Jan Matulka in 1944. Both Surrealism and "Moderne" decorative arts thrived in the 1940s, and here the artist draws from both styles. Matulka was born in Prague and came to America as a young man, and trained here and in Paris, where he became exposed to Cubism. He exhibited in New York, created illustrations for New Masses which advanced the interest of American workers...

Original vintage World War Two warning propaganda poster - Careless Talk Brings Tragedy In Wartime - featuring numbered and captioned illustrations of 1. a young soldier on the phone...

Maj Hemberg, Swedish artist. Oil on board. Abstract composition. Painted with thick brushstrokes. ”Bombning av Dresden” - ("Bombing of Dresden"). 1945-1952. Signed on the back. In ex...

Beautiful set of 4 black and white decoupaged scenes of classical figures in poetic poses set against gold leaf and each framed in giltwood moldings.

A vibrant and finely hand-stitched vintage Suzani textile from Uzbekistan, Central Asia, featuring the rare and symbolic “Prayer Rug” pattern. This artisan-crafted piece is embroider...

Step into the timeless brilliance of Pablo Picasso with this extraordinary color cliché, expertly edited by Editions du Chêne in Paris, France, in 1943. Adorned by a stunning solid w...

We present you this tapestry, circa 1940, in a wooden frame. The whole is kept in sepia color. The central part depicts a genre scene. The fabric is in very good condition. Howev...

Created by Bonnie MacLeary, a Texas-born sculptor famed for her "Aspiration" and "Ouch" bronzes, two of several created in the 1920s, this classic Art Deco tile dates from the 1940s,...

This very large and energetic sketch, depicting several nude figures stepping forward through a circular opening, was painted by Raoul Pene du Bois, probably as a preparatory piece f...

This is an original World War II Marines recruitment poster, designed by Joe Richards. The poster, a color lithograph, was issued on November 28, 1941, less than 10 days before the a...

Original Post War Framed Paintings with red hibiscus, by Tip Freema Featuring a red floral Hibiscus against a light background in its original wood frame. Tip Freeman...

A vintage hand done needlepoint of Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany, presented In a regal hand carved gilt wood frame. Neuschwanstein Castle was built in the 1800s and is loc...

Vintage Nantucket Watercolor of "Old North Slip" on Nantucket, by Doris and Richard Beer, circa 1940, a watercolor on paper view of mooring slips along the end of Old North Wharf, signed in pencil lower right, titled on the reverse. Doris and Richard Beer (1898-1967 and 1893-1959 respectively) produced a well-known series of watercolor miniatures featuring popular Nantucket scenes. Working at their Wharf Head Studio on Old North Wharf for 18 years, the couple worked together on these copyrighted creations, photo-duplicating Doris's line sketch and Doris and Richard completing the watercolor. A native New Yorker, Doris studied at the Art Students League, Cooper Union, and with Arthur Dow at Columbia University. She developed a successful career designing theatrical scenery and costumes in New York, Newport, and later for the Straight Wharf Theater on Nantucket. Richard spent the summers of his childhood in ’Sconset. A graduate of Hamilton College, he served for ten years as American consul in posts in Budapest, England, Havana, and Canada. A self taught painter, he also was a talented writer who contributed to the Saturday Evening Post, Yankee Magazine, and Art News...

Dating to 1943, at the height of Great Britain's battle, newly joined by America, against the Nazis, this rare, Art Deco bas relief sculptural panel was commissioned and presented by the Air Ministry to fund raisers across Britain "In Recognition of Successful Achievement in Wings for Victory Week," and in particular the "Per Ardua Ad Astra" campaign (which quoted the Royal Air Force's motto, translated as “Through Adversity to the Stars"). The panel features a nude male angel...

Step into the dynamic world of André Derain with this vibrant color cliché print from the Fauves collection, meticulously edited by Editions du Chêne in Paris, France, in 1948. Encas...

Original vintage travel advertising poster for BOAC World Air Routes Western Hemisphere featuring a pictorial map with colourful illustrations of people in national dress, places of ...

With a nicely carved pine frame. The canvas featuring a view of Chateau de Savinac in Bordeaux, France.

Beautiful piece from 1940 for Barbisio Hats featuring stunning artwork. This charming poster with artwork from St. Mingozzi depicts a small white dog walking up to a Barbisio hat and...

This is a rare original Russian propaganda poster of Hitler and other leaders gathered at table. 1945 print

- Czechoslovakia, 1950. - Museum of decorative Arts in Czech republic. - Suitable for framing. - Photographed by Illek and Paul. jr

Rare Mid-Century Modern signed 1949 cubist gouache painting of skyscrapers, rooftops and skyline of the City of New York including The Chrysler building by painter Theodore "Theo" Ha...

The American public was fascinated with all things exotic in the 1930s and 1940s, including aquatic and seaside themes and Art Deco hotels and residential interiors often featured pa...

Original vintage travel poster promoting Winter Sports in Torino Capital of the Alps / Sport Invernali Torino Capitale Delle Alpi - featuring artwork by Alberto Campagnoli (1905-1983) of a red cable car ski lift traveling up past snow covered trees with a mountain and bright sun in the background, the colourful bold title text below and slogan diagonally across the image. Issued by ENIT the Italian...

Beautiful rare poster urging people to go to Germany and be the ambassador of French quality or "Qualite Francaise". Featuring stunning artwork attributed to Eric Castel depicting a...

This rare and remarkable tile produced at the close of World War II in Delft, depicting the Nazi dragon being slayed by the Dutch people, is a superb example of Art Deco cloisonné...

Vincent van Gogh Framed Color Cliché, Editions du Chêne, 1947 Medium: Color cliché Publisher: Editions du Chêne, Paris, France Date: 1947 Frame: Solid wood (example shown, final fra...

Brilliantly painted in a palette of canary yellow, orange-red, browns and blues, this WPA-period painting of an open-air market under the Market-Frankford elevated train line ("the El") in Philadelphia was executed by Dorothy Van Loan...

This extraordinary piece is a handcrafted masterpiece of silversmithing, created in the first half of the 20th century in renowned jewelry workshops (as evidenced by the label on the...

Original vintage World War Two propaganda poster - Less dangerous than careless talk Don't discuss Troop movements Ship sailings War equipment - featuring a great illustration of a r...

Original vintage travel advertising poster - World's Fair of 1940 New York For Peace and Freedom - featuring a colourful illustration of people walking by a display of flags with two children holding American flags and the statue of the founding father and first President of the United States George Washington (1732-1799) by the sculptor James Earle Fraser...

Best known for his handsome, beautifully-crafted furniture designs, much in demand today, Tommi Parzinger also painted over the span of his career. His rare, early works -- such as t...

Original vintage advertising poster for BSA Streamlight Bicycles featuring a colourful image of a smartly dressed cyclist smiling to the viewer as he rides his new bike below the tex...

Original vintage World War Two propaganda poster issued by the War Production Drive Headquarters as a warning featuring a dramatic design depicting a large angry looking flying insect - bee / wasp / mosquito - with black and yellow stripes outlined in blue, facing the viewer with the word Beware! written in bold blue font across the image over the wings in front of a white and yellow shaded background. Bulletin Board...

Original British Front of house still for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937. This piece would have been used to advertise the film inside the cinema foyer. This piece was created...

Original vintage skiing poster for the Dartmouth Winter Carnival held on 7-8 February 1941 featuring a dynamic design by Stanley Samuelson Pratt Institute depicting a skier wearing a...

Antique Red Deer Trophy on Carved Plaque, Germany 1940s A vintage abnorm roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) trophy with unequal antlers from the Black Forest mounted on a carved plaque....

Émile François Jacques Compard (1900-1977), French artist. Oil on woodwork. Abstract composition. Dated 1949. Measures: 46 x 32 cm. In very good condition. Signed and dated. Ém...