| Show I That Picture on the Calendar on Your WallI WallIs Wall Wai I I Is the Most Widely Known Known Also Also the Most I Profitable Profitable Form Form of Art in America Today I I By Dy ELMO SCOTT WATSON Released by Western Newspaper Union YOU OU gaze upon one there on onA A the walls of your home or your office every day and you enjoy looking at it Chances are that you never give a second second second sec sec- ond thought to that picture on the calendar any more than you do to any other familiar object in your daily life But the truth is that when you look at a calendar picture youre you're looking at the most widely- widely known and most popular form of art in America today For calendar art is truly the art of the people and it itis itis itis is seen and enjoyed every year by more people than have seen or enjoyed the combined combined combined com com- output of all the Great Masters in history Moreover Moreover More More- over its it's the most profitable form of art because the art- art calendar business is estimated estima ted t- t ed at annually and that tha t has been going on for a number of years Who selects these pictures that adorn our calendars Certainly not the grocer or hardware merchant or ar insurance agent or some other business man or Institution which provides us with a n new calendar at atthe atthe atthe the beginning of every year How do they know what subjects will be appealing and draw the eye to the picture and incidentally to the advertIsing advertising advertising ad ad- message that's usually just below it Well the answer to thos and many other interesting questions which suggest themselves when you ou begin investigating the subject of calendar art can best be answered 1 if you pay a visit to one of the Big Six art calendar companies companies- Brown and Bigelow of St. St Paul Minn the Osborne company of Clifton Clifton Clifton Clif Clif- ton N. N J. J the Shaw-Barton Shaw company company company com com- pany of Coshocton Ohio the Thomas Thom Thom- as D. D Murphy company of Red Oak Iowa the Gerlach-Barklow Gerlach company of Joliet Ill III and the Kemper- Kemper Thomas company of Cincinnati ti Ohio Talk to the officials of one of these companies companies Brown Brown and Bigelow the A oaf v y y r urs z Boy meets girl in an automobile was a favorite calendar art theme around 1912 biggest of the Big Six for in instance In- In stance stance and and you'll learn that they have experts whose business it is to keep their ears to the ground and find out what kind of picture Mr and Mrs America like best on their calendars They get that kind of picture from rom American artists who are outstanding outstanding outstanding ing in the field of illustration illustration from from Maxfield Parrish Norman Rockwell Lawson Wood Rolf RoI Armstrong Anton Anton Anton An An- ton Otto Fischer Frank Hoffman N. N C C. C Wyeth and Maud Tousey Fangel Fan- Fan gel gel and and a few months later the art calendar company's giant presses are turning out full color or black- black white and-white reproductions of their paintings to adorn calendars which will hang in millions of homes and offices throughout the United States I Since our fighting men have been i serving overseas weve we've been hearing hearing hearing hear hear- ing a lot about up pin girls girls Betty Betty Grable Rita Hayworth Dorothy Lamour Lamour Lamour La- La mour anc and other Hollywood ties Are any of these the favorite up pin girls of civilian America America America Amer Amer- ica as well as military America The answer Is They are NOT NOTi The favorite up pin girls in the American home are five little girls m. m pay urr E r ry y Fr This is one of Andrew Loomis' Loomis paintings of the Dionne Quintuplets which appearing on a Brown and Bi Bigelow elow calendar have made them Americas America's favorite up pin girls for the last nine years cars who live up in Canada the Canada the famous Dionne Quintuplets Moreover they've held that honor for the last nine years and its it's doubtful if it any Hollywood star or curvaceous Powers Powers Pow Pow- ers model will ever displace them since it seems that tha t the plain people of America have both figuratively and literally pinned their devotion to Annette Cecile Yvonne Emille Emilie and Marie Dionne whose childish charms have been displayed the length and breadth of this land in paintings by Artist Andrew Loomis on Brown and Bigelow calendars By actual count calendars bearing the picture of the have sold into the tens of millions What is true of this picture is true to almost as great an In extent of pictures pictures pictures pic pic- tures produced by other artists mentioned mentioned mentioned men men- above above- For they have produced produced pro pro- pictures in every field land field land landscapes portraits leg art and nudes also some of the best known sporting pictures in the world Undoubtedly Undoubtedly Un Un- the average American knows the baby pictures of Maud Fangel better than the Boy With the Fife Filc of Manet l and the Norman Rockwell Boy Scout better better better bet bet- ter than the Blue Boy of Gains- Gains boro He has become better acquainted acquainted ac ac- ac- ac with the landscapes of Maxfield Maxfield Maxfield Max- Max field Parrish and feels closer to his famous blues and purples than to the landscapes of Turner and Corot And from daily glances in his office office office of of- fice and on his living room walls the average American who hunts and fishes and there are 15 million more of him has come to know and love pictures like Frank Hoffmans Hoffman's At Bay BlY one of the outstanding calendar pictures in the Brown and Bigelow catalogue better than any of Rosa Bonheur's masterpieces No the average American may not be tremendously conscious art-conscious but he likes pictures and knows what he likes Moreover you'll find what he likes hanging in his office home garage work room and places of recreation And he can hardly wait till his bank grocery gas or tire company or other concern with whom he does business or doesn't sends him hima a calendar with his favorite artists artist's picture on it Whether Its It's a nude or revealing bit of anatomy by Rolf RoI Armstrong or Zoe or a more artistic by Maxfield Parrish Parrish Parrish Par Par- rish a comic situation painted In his inimitable fashion by Norman Rockwell or a l hunting scene by Frank Hoffman n each of these artists artists art art- has his fans and as soon as the calendar is brought in by the postman postman postman post post- man it is unwrapped and the plain American or his Missus hangs it up at the time-honored time spot on the walL The subjects they like run from the Dionne Quintuplets to historical scenes such as lS Columbus Discovering Discover Discover- ing America or Washington Crossing Crossing Cross Cross- ing the Delaware If you think the present up pin craze is big remember remember remember re re- re- re member back to the days when practically every American home either hung September Morn on the wall or fought bitterly about the propriety and even morality of having having having hav hav- ing It there But the favorite subject accordIng according accord accord- ing to a Brown and Bigelow survey survey sur sur- vey has always been the landscape The scene m must st be a homely comfortable com com- comfortable and comforting one one not not the noisy over-colored over flashy modern modern modern mod mod- ern art However the outstanding favorite of the average American a favorite that has held its leadership for nine years are the calendars picturing the Andrew Loomis Loomis' Loomis Loomis' Loomis Loomis' Loo- Loo mis' mis drawings of Canadas Canada's chief peacetime industry have sold into the millions each year 2 2 million a at their peak in 1936 and never less than a million a year Girl calendars nudes leggy pictures pictures pictures pic pic- tures what is known to the newspaper newspaper news news- paper man as cheesecake are next in popularity Men like nudes best and steel companies and tire companies send these to their men customers contractors mechanics etc But a close runner up Is the plain picture of n a wholesome wholesome wholesome whole whole- some American girl the cut clean-cut type of young girl of about 17 These are favorites with storekeepers small town banks beauty parlors etc A more sophisticated type is chosen by city shops florists milliners milliners milliners mil mil- liners and laundry and dry cleaning places Besides the who are the essence of human interest the human human human hu hu- hu- hu man interest scenes go biggest in the average home home pictures pictures like Norman Norman Norman Nor Nor- man Rockwell's and the etchings of a boy and his dog Religious pictures pic pia tures which had waned somewhat in popularity have spurted recently undoubtedly due to the thc war And the subject that is always sure of its popularity is the outdoor scene Even the busiest of executives like them hanging in the office because it gives them a chance to relax for fora a moment by imagining themselves in n the wide open spaces Back in the decade from rom 1920 to 1930 the mother and child theme in calendar art was a popular one but it has fallen off somewhat In the thc last 10 years Just why no one knows Calendar makers will wil tell you that the idea Is fundamentally sound and the only explanation they have haveis is that no artist recently has drawn a mother-child mother picture with exactly the right idea and technique Similarly Similarly Similarly Simi Simi- ship pictures pictures especially especially the theThis theThis they y I This bathing beauty was considered considered considered consid consid- ered a very snappy number for calendars calendars calendars cal cal- back in 1904 sailing ship scudding along in a stiff breeze have breeze have declined in popularity However as the American navy wins more and more victories it is probable that pictures of warships will appear more frequently But whether they choose the landscapes human interest or girl art the American public is minded It has been up pin long before the war and will be as long longas as about this time of the year the postman comes around with a calendar calendar calendar cal cal- and its picture by the Americans Americans American's Americans American's Amer Amer- ican's favorite artist |
