Attempted Bloggery: Lipstick

Showing posts with label Lipstick. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

John Held, Jr.: Map of New York Night Clubs

In the Prohibition Era, researching John Held, Jr.'s, Map of New York Night Clubs must have been a labor of love. The map, we are told, resulted "from actual survey by and under the direction of Lip Stick." The New Yorker's nightlife reporter Lois Long, who wrote under the name Lipstick, therefore must greatly have assisted Held in this endeavor. She was married to New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno—no stranger himself to the speakeasy scene—from 1927 to 1931, the latter being the year in which this Manhattan map appeared in The Works of John Held, Jr.

https://oldmapgallery.com/products/nyc-ny-john-held-jrs-map-of-new-york-night-clubs

The above image is from the Old Map Gallery, which dates it c. 1930 and does not have a copy for sale. There is a copy on eBay which has been removed from Held's 1931 book.

John Held, Jr.
eBay listing accessed February 16, 2026

https://www.ebay.com/itm/296676830498?_skw=john+held+jr+Manhattan&itmmeta=01KHMQAY09T5W3CVTJXMPS0TCM&hash=item4513512d22:g:jAsAAOSwl-Fm2z44&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAAA0GfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xCbv2SXqTeqY%2Brwr%2FRAZ%2BHsSjtM2RJQ7x6%2F20atiH560vAn5i1SNQq6UJ0fGz8m%2Fh7j%2FQoZAtIOdVFteCzXrCWDiEzloWKCbhvlAy4T0Wme1lQGL2IRG4GUx8ZrbjPCPjLgP6mz4MiUkxXreYOn10BiiVO35fPXxfGuvfQOsz6skglK9GoL02VBj0LAk4OzBlhzvaR252DhBAkywYiLmr08br727w4yVAWJuPnV88VNe5Z84mTENVdGWoIoGe3eEH8%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6jgq5eNZw

John Held, Jr.
eBay item description

05203

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Constantin Alajálov for Mary Dunhill

Constantin Alajálov's ads from 1943 for Mary Dunhill lipstick evoke the Second World War as well as the holiday traditions of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The women of these ads support the war effort, continue to perform domestic duties, and manage to socialize with young men. These women serve their country proudly in uniform, but never fail to wear one of Mary Dunhill's five shades of lipstick: Luscious, Banner Red, Thrilling, Medium, and Brilliant. Incredible demands were made upon their finances as the price of lipstick rose from $1.00 to $1.25 during the two-month course of these ads. That doesn't even include the additional "federal tax," whatever that may have been. President Roosevelt opposed a wartime Federal Retail Sales Tax and it was never enacted by Congress, so it isn't immediately clear just what that tax refers to.

Constantin Alajálov, This Rollicking Round..., Advertisement, Mary Dunhill,
The New Yorker, October 23, 1943, page 3.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1943-Mary-Dunhill-Lipstick-Cosmetics-WWII-Halloween-Constantin-Alajalov-art-ad-/151320500068?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item233b679764

Constantin Alajálov, This Busy Vortex..., Advertisement, Mary Dunhill,
The New Yorker, November 27, 1943, page 17

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1943-Mary-Dunhill-Lipstick-Cosmetics-WWII-Thanksgiving-Constantin-Alajalov-ad-/151263523475?nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Constantin Alajálov, This Hectic Holiday..., Mary Dunhill,
The New Yorker, December 11, 1943, page 5

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1943-Mary-Dunhill-Lipstick-Cosmetics-WWII-Christmas-Constantin-Alajalov-Art-ad-/151320500279?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item233b679837

Note: There's a lot more artwork by Constantin Alajálov on the ol' blog.

I believe Ed Ney once called it "responsible commercial persuasion," but I just call it advertising. Some posts about advertising—responsible or otherwise—are on hand.

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Saturday, May 25, 2013

Two Steinberg Drawings

Two untitled drawings by Saul Steinberg are being offered together at Sotheby's New York in the June 7 Contemporary Art sale. The drawing of the cat is far better known, and deservedly so.