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, August 12, 2007

Play Football

Although unsigned, this 1934 box cover for a Play Football board game bears all of the earmarks of a Vallely. In previous years he had illustrated two football themed dust jackets for Elmer A. Dawson's Garry Grayson series, and two years later would provide the cover for William Heyliger's tale of the gridiron, Fighting Blood. This is his first artwork for a board game that I'm aware of.

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posted by DSK at 12:09 | 4 comments

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Play Ball!


As the subtitle suggests, Robert Smith's Hit's, Runs, & Errors was comprised of the best yarns and anecdotes from his 1947 book Baseball. This 1949 abridgment features what was probably not only one of his last sports themed covers (and only his second for Baseball), but one of his last published works.

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posted by DSK at 20:30 | 0 comments