William Medcalf Original Gouache Painting Prelim Calendar Pin-Up Bigelow & Brown

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Incredible preliminary work in gouache for (presumably) the Brown & Bigelow publishing company by well-regarded pin-up artist named William Medcalf.The Minneapolis area artist is known for his wholesome, yet glamorous females , often painted with futuristic concept cars & cute dogs. Medcalf was admired by both of his idols, Gil Elvgren and Norman Rockwell.Despite the proliferation of Medcalf calendar images online, I have yet to find an example of the finished version of this painting, so it may never have advanced to the final stage. If it did, it's quite rare.This piece, has the words "Toldeo Steel" hand-written in pen on the back, possibly indicating the ultimate client. Bigelow & Brown produced unique personalized calendars for their customers, and Medcalf worked for them from 1947-67, quickly becoming one of their most popular artists. Based on the fins on the car, this would appear to be somewhere in the mid 50's to early 60's range - especially considering Toldeo Steel largely commissioned Calendars featuring monkeys in comical situations through the late 40's.Finished Medcalf calendar oil paintings (the same color pieces used in a published pin-up calendar) bring as much as $25 - $30K.This, being a prelim in black and white with some issues, is priced according - significantly less than a final color piece.It has everything you'd want in a piece from this artist - a sexy, wholesome girl and an automobile - Medcalf's trademark. As a bonus, you get a cute dog & a gag!This is on approximately 21x28 inch board all of which is the image area. I bought this from an old junk shop, roughly framed with no glass (see pics) back in 1985, having no idea it was a Medcalf. The frame is pretty shodddy and probably a liability in shipping, so I intend to ship it without the frame, in a box, with masonite backing to protect the piece, all bagged in plastic to prevent water damage.The piece has some issues - I took close up large pics that can be viewed with the eBay zoom feature to convey these the best I can. Here are some comments on the pics that will explain the details in the photos:You'll notice there's a tiny (slightly more than a 1/4") ding in the lower left back corner - it doesn't present from the front, but I assume it will when I remove it from the frame.There is a close-up of a small gouge in the surface layer of the painting - it appears between the figure's feet. It's small and does not go all the way through the board. Luckily the color of the board matches some of the paint and this minimizes visual distraction.The back of the piece has some foxing in a few spots. There is one stress line I notice from the back, but cannot see evidence of from the front.There are also what may be water marks and spotting, but I can't tell if this was part of the painting process or the result of a post-creation water incident. As these were rendered in what is essentially opaque watercolor, it's hard to know.Ships insured, with signature required. Because of the cost of materials involved, the time and care spent in packing and the size of the item (which triggers a baloon rate), the S&H cost is on the high side. Sorry, but it is what it is - S&H is not a profit center for us.Please note: DO NOT SEND OFFERSIf you have questions, or want to see more pictures (I've used as many as ebay will allow), contact me BEFORE YOU BUY.See pics for more details - they are the actual item you'll be getting.The item will be securely packed and boxed for safe delivery. It will require a signature and will be fully insured at the selling price.FOREIGN BUYERS: That means you can't ask me to lower the value on customs forms! Also of note to foreign buyers; some countries have insurance limits through USPS. If the item cannot be insured for the full value through USPS, we will look for other options, likely UPS or FedEx. That said, these services sometimes charge additional customs clearance fees that need to be paid by ... read more

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