Vintage travel posters power Potter & Potter to $405K result May 15
Charles Allen’s 1960s-era ‘Hawaii’ poster, which sold for $2,640
CHICAGO – Potter & Potter‘s May 15 Vintage Posters, Prints & Works on Paper event was the image of success from start to finish, busting through the sale’s preauction high estimate to realize more than $405,000. After a day of spirited bidding, 56 lots realized $1,000-$2,000; 13 lots made $2,001-$9,999; and two lots broke the $10,000 mark. (Lots linked to images reflect hammer prices.)
Posters featuring mid-century images of popular US cities and travel hotspots took several of the top slots in this exciting sale. Charles Allen’s 1960s-era Hawaii made $2,640 on its $300-$500 estimate. The period lithograph travel poster featured surfers catching a huge wave. Also of note was David Klein’s circa-1958 TWA/Los Angeles, which sold for $3,600. This iconic image captured Klein’s interpretation of the Hollywood Bowl, with klieg lights shooting rays into the starry night sky through which a TWA jet passes.
David Klein’s circa 1958 ‘TWA/Los Angeles,’ which sold for $3,600
Fred Siebel’s Farrell Lines/Wonderful Way To Get There from 1948, scored $2,640, more than twice its high estimate. This striking example was illustrated with Manhattan skyscrapers, neon lights, and a cruise liner, and shown coming into port bearing Farrell Lines’ house flag. In addition, Bob Peak’s New York World’s Fair 1964-65 traded hands at $1,020 on its $125-$225 estimate. It depicted a happy family at fair’s ubiquitous Unisphere sculpture.
Bob Peak, ‘New York World’s Fair 1964-65,’ which sold for $1,020
Stunning antique lithographs were also well represented at this signature, mid-spring event. Ottomar Anton’s Hamburg–Amerika Linie/2 Days Across the Atlantic poster from 1936 was estimated at $2,000-$3,000 and brought $3,840. This framed example depicted the Hindenburg airship flying above a clipper ship on the Atlantic Ocean, emphasizing the swifter service of travel by air than by sea. Other notable lots include a 1930s era Soviet Intourist poster promoting railway passage to the Crimean peninsula, which was estimated at $350-$600 and sold for $2,400. This poster featured the region’s famous Swallow’s Nest architecture.
1930s-era Soviet Intourist poster, which sold for $2,400
Carl Kunst’s Bilgeri Ski Ausrustung (Bilgeri Ski Equipment) poster from circa 1910 raced to $1,200 on its $200-$300 presale estimate. This poster was illustrated with an early pair of skis and bamboo poles against a rugged mountain landscape and deep blue sky. Camille Bouchet’s Cognac Jacquet from 1925 was estimated at $600-$800 and realized $3,840. This handsome Parisian piece depicted a colorful peacock and a bottle of cognac.
Camille Bouchet, ‘Cognac Jacquet,’ which sold for $3,840
Posters marking historical events, movements, and other social initiatives caught the eye, and pocketbooks, of collectors worldwide. Edwin Megargee’s Be Kind to Animals/Van Wert Humane Society color lithograph made $540 on its $80-$125 presale estimate. This linen-backed example pictured a young boy feeding wild rabbits and birds in a pastoral setting. Also performing well was Leo Lionni’s Keep ‘Em Rolling! Washington, D.C. from 1941, which was estimated at $250-$350 and sold for $1,680. This photomontage work incentive poster jumped off the sheet, with boats and factory workers set in an American flag design, echoing earlier avant garde graphic design movements.
Leo Lionni, ‘Keep ‘Em Rolling!’ Washington, D.C., which sold for $1,680
The 762-lot sale also offered a number of important prints and paintings that sparked bidding wars amongst buyers. Igor Pantuhoff’s Untitled Nude nearly tripled its low estimate to sell for $3,360. This framed and matted oil on canvas depicted a full length blonde woman and was signed “Igor.” Tony Scherman’s The Rape of Callisto, from 1993/4, brought $5,760. This microcystalline wax and pigment on canvas work was signed and titled by the artist on verso and had provenance to the Galerie Barbara Farber.
Tim Storrier, ‘Noonline Blaze,’ which sold for $37,200
Noonline Blaze, by Australian artist Tim Storrier, was estimated at $8,000-$12,000 and sold for a breathtaking $37,200. This framed acrylic on canvas painting was signed and titled and retained its Louis Newman Galleries gallery label. Also, Alphonse Mucha’s The Seasons – consisting of the complete suite of four linen backed color lithograph panels with allegorical depictions of idealized young women as Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter – traded hands at $21,600. This stunning quartet was printed in Paris by F. Champenois in 1896; each panel was signed in plate by the artist.
JD Smith, ‘New York Times/Sporting News,’ which sold for $1,200
The sale was rounded out with entertainment, international travel, and other stunning posters that bridged traditional categories. JD Smith’s New York Times/Sporting News, dating to the 1920s, won the day at $1,200, four times its high estimate. This horizontal linen-backed poster advertised the newspaper’s sporting news section and depicted a horse race, along with the Times’ classic masthead.
According to Gabe Fajuri, President at Potter & Potter Auctions, “This was our best poster and fine art sale to date. The continued momentum in this category makes us just as excited as our customers and consignors for the next sale in the category.”
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