1918 - 1923 Western Auto Original Illustration Art [ sign catalog advertising ]

Description: I'm a relative of R. S. "Van" Rensselaer, the artist hired by George Pepperdine to create all of the advertising art for Western Auto from 1918 - 1940. If you're a serious WASCO collector, you should probably just message me and we can figure it out from there. I usually custom tailor my lots to the individual buyer, especially when I have such a massive amount of material. Basically I'll need you to give me some guidance on what you do or don't want before I can list it. Or you could just buy what's pictured, that's fine too: Pic1: probably the only piece of Saving Sam fine art in existence.Pic2: the first ever sketch of Saving Sam, from 1918. I believe it's the actual prototype that Van and George came up with the first time they met. Van had it saved in his personal scrapbook.Pic3: the original art for the 1922 Ford parts catalog. The 1921 - 1922 Ford catalogs are a critical part of WASCO history, marking the turning point when it went from local mail-order outfit to national retail giant.Pic4: Random photo of Van screwing around on the roof with his "Sams", with the Hotel Alexandria seen in background. EDIT: To clarify, the bulk of what I have is cellulose based, so no porcelain or metal signage. Van specialized in layouts and lithography, so think in terms of prints and proofs for all the WASCO newspaper ads, catalogs, billboards, store signage, etc. Much of the material is from 1918 - 1923 because that's when he was young and excited and proudly saved all his published work. It's really a wealth of information on California's early automotive history. The only other original art I have is from his time as art director, so 1933 - 1940.

Price: 1500 USD

Location: Simi Valley, California

End Time: 2024-09-02T10:22:47.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD