A website devoted to the rediscovery of the works of early 20th century illustrator Henry E. Vallely (1881-1950). Perhaps best known for his chiaroscuro technique employed in Big Little Books, he also produced a large volume of work including fashion illustrations for women's magazines, spot illustrations for food periodicals, magazine covers and children's books. His art is distinctive and timeless and deserves the recognition that has until this time eluded it. Comments and contributions towards the preservation of the H. E. Vallely legacy are most welcome. All images are believed to be in the public domain unless otherwise noted.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Oomph Girl


Ann Sheridan was known for being cast as either the girl next door or the tough broad, and in this opening illustration for Ann Sheridan and the Sign of the Sphinx (Whitman Authorized Edition 2390, 1943), Henry Vallely chose to portray the former trait. As John Pansmith pointed out in his article for the Big Little Times, "He also had an uncommon knack for drawing easily recognizable movie stars and celebrities and fitting them in amid fictional characters". Vallely was able to demonstrate this in the fourteen Whitman Authorized Editions produced between 1942 and 1947 featuring celebrities of the day such as Shirley Temple, Jane Withers and Gregory Peck.

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1 Comments:

Blogger Dave Toxik said...

Nice sleek lines - cool!

7:13 PM

 

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