Valentine 

is pleased to present

new wall drawings and works on paper
by
Judith Braun                                                                                     Linda Herritt

                   










                             
Oriane Stender  
 

 The show opens on Friday January 10
from 6-9

and runs through Sunday February 2
Valentine is open Friday through Sunday
 from 1-6 
and is easily accessible by the L and M
 

Valentine is pleased to present

new and recent paintings

by

Todd Bienvenu & Gili Levy

with

Katherine Bradford

Opening Friday December 6 from 6-9

The show runs through December 29

Gallery hours are Friday – Sunday 1-6

and by appointment.

The gallery is easily accessible by the L and M line.

 718 381-2962
valentineridgeood@gmail.com

Maker - Norcross

To my Valentine For you from me ~ Oh how DUCKY it would be If you'd choose a Valentine like me.

4" x 5" (8" x 5" opened)
circa 1950s
French Fold
by Norcross
Marked: 5V240
made in USA

Begun by brother and sister, Arthur D. and Jane Norcross in 1914, Norcross was located at 315 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The company didn't really get going until 1919, after Arthur returned from a stint with the army in France. Methods utilised included copper plate etchings, dry points, gravures and hand coloring on hand-made paper. In addition to greeting cards the company created wonderful gift wrapping.

Still an ongoing concern in the 1950s, they had by then moved to Madison Ave. In the 1970s they relocated again, this time to Pennsylvannia. In 1981 they merged with Rust Craft. After this merger, the Norcross name was likely no longer used. Some of the artists employed by the company include: 

• Helen Sewell
• Mildred Boyle
• Helen Meredith
• Marie Manners
• Vivienne Blake McCandless Demuth  (1936-1940)

                  *********************************************

 Sources:

The Romance of Greeting Cards, (revised ed of 1956) By Ernest Dudley Chase
Illustrators/Artists page from TheSantis.com (authors of a series of Little Golden Book collector guides)
Smithsonian Institute; Archives, Manuscripts and Photographs online catalog

Series 426 Valentine Cut-Outs

Let's be each's Valentine.

4 1/4" diameter
circa 1920s
Rocking Stand-Up
marked: Series No. 426 Valentine Cut-Outs
12 designs
made in USA

 

Valentine

 is please to present 

Judith Linhares 

and 
Loren Munk

with 
Rebecca Litt  

The opening reception is Friday October 18 from 6-9.

This exhibit runs through November 17.

Gallery hours are Friday – Sunday 1-6

and by appointment.

The gallery is easily accessible by the L and M line. 

 718 381-2962

Artist - Bernhardt Wall

If you von't, Vy von't you, vot?

3 1/2" x 5 1/2"
circa 1910s
Postcard
by Bernhardt Wall for S Bergman Co
marked: S 68
divided back

Bernhardt Wall (1872 - 1956) earned the nickname, the Postcard King, through the vast amount of design work he did on postcards. His work appears on many different publisher's cards. He is credited as having created over 5000 postcards including many series like the very recognizable Sunbonnet Girls (aka Sunbonnet Sue) and Overalls Boys. These figures wore large white bonnets with red dresses or straw-looking hats with overalls. The hats obscured the faces of these characters. Some of the Ullman cards featuring sunbonnet figures give credit for the illustration to "Uncle Milton", a pen name sometimes used by Wall.  Now whether or not he originated these characters is questionable despite the artist's own claims. Some sources do credit Wall for this, but Bertha L. Corbett who designed the sunbonnet girl for Dutch Cleanser and illustrated a book on sunbonnet babies among other sunbonnet items may more properly deserve credit. None the less, Wall's interpretations remain very popular and there are several groups like a day of the week series and a series of each month of the year (both published by Ullman) to collect. Wall also created characters in wide-brimmed red hats that are similar but whose faces can be seen.

To My Valentine ~ I ain't good looking but, I iss cute, vot?

4" x 2 1/2"
circa 1880s, 1890s
Postcard
by Bernhardt Wall 
for Gibson and Co

As was popular at the time, Wall did many cultural characters like the Dutch themed cards shown here and cards depicting black Americans. His take on African Americans reflects the prejudices common and generally acceptable in the society of his time such as the 1906 series for Ullman titled Cute Coon Series No. 70 and another group also for Ullman titled Little Coon Series No. 59. These were filled with unflattering, stereotypical imagery as one might guess from the chosen titles. Wall was kinder in his depictions of women suffragettes - a topic often derided by some other cartoon card creators. The number of women in the field (well before it was normalized for women to work outside the home, illustration work in books and on cards was often done by women some who became quite famous) ensured that not all treatments of the topic were against votes for women.  He is also well known for his propaganda cards mocking the Germans during WWI. His experiences in Cuba with the military during the Spanish American War probably influenced his desire to participate in WWI in such a way. 

While our interest lies mainly in the valentine cards designed by Wall, his more highly valued work is to be found in the etchings he created, especially those he created to go along with his work as a historian. It is thought that his postcards earned the money to enable Wall to do his preferred work as a lithographic artist which was not as lucrative at the time. According to a story in the July 15th, 1916 edition of Bruno's Weekly, Wall was fond of traveling in his car with plates at the ready to etch things as they struck his fancy. He preferred this to asking people to sit in a studio for him. It is claimed he did such an etching of Mark Twain as Twain spoke at a branch of New York City's YMCA.

As well as his work published by a variety of companies, Wall published quite a bit of his own work too. Many of his books and other items such as bookplates were created by the artist himself. These items tend to be rather difficult to come by as quantities were more limited than his postcard designs. Other difficult to find items include water colors, such as his 1898 paintings of scenes of Cuba found in the collection of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Political figures were also a favorite subject appearing in etchings and as subjects for both postcards and books. He did a series of 'Following' books: Following General Sam Houston 1793-1863 (1935), Following Andrew Jackson (1937), etc. Of special interest among his publications is the series of miniatures from 1948, The Etcht Miniature Magazine. Each volume in the 12-month series was limited to 60 copies with text and illustrations all etched and printed in colored inks.

Wall died on February 9, 1956 in California, which had been his home since the death of his first wife. He was by that time considered a respected historian of the American West. His books, which he printed and bound himself, are to be found in the collections of several well-regarded universities as well as those of many prominent collectors. 

 ************************************************************** 

Companies Wall is known to have worked for:

• Barton and Spooner
• Bergman
• Gibson Art Co
• Illustrated Postal Card Co
• International Art Co
• J. I. Austen
• Ullman Mfg Co
• Valentine and Sons

Sources: 

• Bruno's Weekly, July 15, 1916
• The Bookseller, Newsdealer and Stationer, Vol 43, July 15, 1915, p 98
• Antique Trader Black American Price Guide by Kyle Husfloen