Art Deco Prints
You probably have seen them, in either your grandparents’ house, or in the background of 40s movie sets: art deco prints. Maxfield Parrish is really the big name here, and his illustrations from the early 20th century through the 30s, c
urrently go for hundreds of dollars.
urrently go for hundreds of dollars. But there were a number of lesser-known artists who did very similar work; garden scenes, “enchanted ladies,” children and dogs, sailing ships, cottage and landscape scenes. And while deco prints rarely come into thrift shops anymore because of their collectibility, they are often available, and affordable, at flea markets, antique stores and on Ebay.
I appreciate them because they depict scenes in vivid colors with settings that have a magical feel. Grouped together, or alone, the deco prints work well with Victorian and cottage room decor.
Just a few of the more commonly-discovered deco artists of the time include:
- •R. Atkinson Fox
- •Chester K. Van Nortwick
- •Alice Adams
- •William Thompson
- •George Hacker
- •Vladimir Pavlosky
- •Mary Gold
Yet many prints bear no artist name at all. Some collectors do choose by artist, but I tend to choose mine mainly by the quality of the color and the subject matter.
Copyright 2006-2009 Jenn Thorson. All rights reserved.
