Pin-up art isn't really my thing. Neither is medical humor, at least that's what I keep telling everyone here. But put the two together, and I find myself unexpectedly delighted.
Gil Elvgren's "Doctor, Are All Those Fellow Interns?" from 1946 was published in the 1952 Brown & Bigelow wall calendar. It is an unashamedly adolescent view of medical practice, including a disrobed young woman not-too-effectively covering herself with a bedsheet, while sporting the fancy hairdo, makeup, jewelry, and high heels that were supposedly a part of every young man's fantasies. Despite their profession, the unseen team of leering interns is essentially no different from the calendar's devotees in their appreciation of cheesecake. Today, it all seems kind of innocent and even amusing, at least until you read the facile rhyme that was appended to the published calendar.
I like the fact that this comes from a doctor's estate and I salute the memory of Alfred W. Wagner, M.D. After this purchase, his medical rounds must have seemed quite commonplace.
This illustration will be sold on April 11-12 at Heritage. No estimate has been published yet, but I'd guess this should fetch $80,000 to $120,000 at least.
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Gil Elvgren's "Doctor, Are All Those Fellow Interns?" from 1946 was published in the 1952 Brown & Bigelow wall calendar. It is an unashamedly adolescent view of medical practice, including a disrobed young woman not-too-effectively covering herself with a bedsheet, while sporting the fancy hairdo, makeup, jewelry, and high heels that were supposedly a part of every young man's fantasies. Despite their profession, the unseen team of leering interns is essentially no different from the calendar's devotees in their appreciation of cheesecake. Today, it all seems kind of innocent and even amusing, at least until you read the facile rhyme that was appended to the published calendar.
I like the fact that this comes from a doctor's estate and I salute the memory of Alfred W. Wagner, M.D. After this purchase, his medical rounds must have seemed quite commonplace.
This illustration will be sold on April 11-12 at Heritage. No estimate has been published yet, but I'd guess this should fetch $80,000 to $120,000 at least.
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| Gil Elvgren, "Doctor, Are All Those Fellow Interns?" 1946. Brown & Bigelow Calendar, September 1952 Heritage Auctions, April 11, 2013 |
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| Gil Elvgren's signature |
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| Gil Elvgren, "Doctor, Are All Those Fellow Interns?" Framed, 1946 Brown & Bigelow Calendar, September 1952 Heritage Auctions, April 11, 2013 |
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| The Back of the Frame |
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| Gil Elvgren, "Doctor, Are All Those Fellow Interns?" 1946. Brown & Bigelow Calendar September 1952
Image added April 13, 2013
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| Gil Elvgren, "Doctor, Are All Those Fellow Interns?" 1946. Brown & Bigelow Calendar September 1952
Image added April 13, 2013
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| Gil Elvgren, "Doctor, Are All Those Fellow Interns?" 1946 Brown & Bigelow Calendar September 1952 Heritage Auctions, April 11, 2013 |
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Gil Elvgren, "Doctor, Are All Those Fellow Interns?" 1946.
Brown & Bigelow Calendar, September 1952
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| Gil Elvgren, "Doctor, Are All Those Fellow Interns?" 1946 Brown & Bigelow Calendar September 1952 Heritage Auctions, April 11, 2013 |
April 1, 2013 Update: Heritage's actual published estimate is $40,000 to $60,000, which I think may be a little on the low side.
April 13, 2013 Update: It turns out I was wrong and Heritage's estimate was pretty good. Evidently, I was swayed by my feelings for the subject!
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| Gil Elvgren, "Doctor, Are All Those Fellow Interns?" 1946 Brown & Bigelow Calendar September 1952 Heritage Auctions Winning Bid, April 11, 2013 |
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