Description:

JOHN PHILIP FALTER (AMERICAN, 1910-1982)
Boss Comes To Dinner
Oil on board, 1947, signed lower left.
Number 8 illustration painting of the series Home Life in America from the 1945-1957 Beer Belongs campaign by the Brewers Foundation and Walter Thompson PR firm post WWII. Scene depicts father, daughter and her suitor; father and suitor enjoying a beer while daughter patiently waits. Label to verso of Walter Thompson Company shipping label to August Busch Jr. at Anheuser-Busch Corporation, downtown St. Louis.
About the Artist: Born in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, John Falter became a nationally known magazine illustrator, painter of celebrity portraits and scenes of western migration.
In 1916, his family moved to Falls City, Nebraska where his father ran a clothing store. Falter created a comic strip, "Down Thru the Ages," which ran in the "Fall City Journal." J.M. Darling, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist of the "Des Moines Register," saw some of his work and urged him to become a professional illustrator.
In 1928, he enrolled in the Kansas City Art Institute and then won a scholarship to the Art Students League in New York City. Soon, he began illustrating pulp magazines and received his first commission from "Liberty" magazine to do three illustrations a week in 1933. By 1940, he had several clients including Gulf Oil, 4 Roses Whiskey, Arrow Shirts, and Pall Mall.
His first "Saturday Evening Post Cover," a portrait of the magazine's founder Benjamin Franklin, is dated September 1, 1943, and from that time until 1969, he did 185 covers until the magazine ceased publication.
In 1943, he enlisted in the Navy and designed over 300 recruiting posters and during this time completed a series of twelve famous war heroes for "Esquire" magazine. He also did illustrations for "Good Housekeeping," "The Home Magazine," "The Ladies Home Journal," "Cosmopolitan," "McCalls," "Life," and "Look."
His body of work is impressive in volume and variety of subject matter, and much of it reflected his life-long interest in jazz. He did scenes of Harlem nightclub life in the 1930s and portraits of famous jazz musicians including Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, and Pee Wee Erwin. He also did portraits of movie stars including Clark Gable, James Cagney, and Olivia de Haviland.
During the 1970s and 1980s, he turned to historical and western themes including a series "From Sea to Shining Sea" for 3M Company to commemorate the American Bicentennial. He completed over 200 paintings of western subjects, emphasizing westward migration of 1843 to 1880 from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains.
In 1976, he was elected to the Illustrators Hall of Fame and in 1978 to the National Academy of Western Art with whom he exhibited at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Source: Walt Reed, "The Illustrator in America" Archives, Museum of Nebraska Art Board: 20" height, 24" width; frame: 27.5" height, 31.5" width

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Shipment is the full responsibility of the buyer. Selkirk will not be responsible for any loss, damage, theft, or otherwise responsible for any items left in Selkirk's possession fifteen (15) days after the sale. If arrangements for shipping have not been made and communicated within thirty (30) days, Selkirk reserves the right, at this time, to charge a storage fee of $10 per lot per day for furniture and large format items and $5 per lot per day for all other items, and within sixty (60) days, at its own discretion, sell any items left on the premises. Accumulated fees resulting from storage and insurance cost will be taken out of any proceeds.

Objects that contain materials of endangered or protected species may be subject to regulations disallowing export and import into other states or countries. It is the buyer's responsibility to be aware of all applicable laws and regulations and to obtain any required export or import licenses or certificates and any other required documentation.

December 11, 2021 10:00 AM CST
St. Louis, MO, US

Selkirk Auctioneers & Appraisers

You agree to pay a buyer’s premium, as outlined below, and any applicable taxes and shipping.
Buyer's Premium
$0 - $2,500,000:
25.00%
$2,500,001+:
17.50%

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $29 $5
$30 $99 $10
$100 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $299,999 $10,000
$300,000 $499,999 $25,000
$500,000 + $50,000