Commercial artists/collectors - can you help me find an artist? from 1952?

[bertha katzenengel]

A friend at work gave her boss an ad from a 1952 issue of the Saturday Evening Post as a christmas gift. (Ebay is your friend.) The ad is for the Santa Fe Railroad, and shows a painting of - and by - a San Idelfonso Pueblo Indian (the boss is a tribal member).

As soon as he saw it he said "my grandfather might have painted this." But his parents don't know and he doesn't have any idea how to find out.

Can anyone help?

[supernova]

1. Google his Grandfather's name

If there is something else of his in a collection, it might show up.

edit: You might also try talking to someone at the National Museum of the American Indian. http://www.nmai.si.edu/

Perhaps they know someone who is familiar with people who did illustrations.

That sounds like a wonderful gift. :thumbsup:

[bertha katzenengel]

2. two big fat duhs

Great idea, SN :hi:

[Call Me Wesley]

3. Can you describe the ad somewhat? What the picture shows?

There are a few with native American themes.

[bertha katzenengel]

4. as best I can. It's in the style of the 50s...

it's a full-page ad

plain white background

a headline, including the Santa Fe Railroad logo

text in a right-hand column

the Indian figure in the left - a man in traditional dress, standing tall

more text at the bottom

I've only seen it once, and the boss has already gone home for the day and took it with him!

[Call Me Wesley]

5. This one?

[bertha katzenengel]

6. how did you do that?

It is very similar. I believe it may be the same drawing, but the ad my friend bought was on white paper and the painting was in color.

[Call Me Wesley]

8. I'm just looking around a bit.

Couldn't find the artist's name yet, though. Hernando Villa (who worked 40 years for the Santa Fe Railroad - he made the chief emblem) might have done it, but I'm not sure. He died in 1952.

I'll have another look.

[GumboYaYa]

7. artnet.com is a good place to start doing research on an artist.

Try it and see if you get results. If you run into dead ends there, I have a subscription to the service and can get to more detailed research.

Also, if you can post an image, I can show my wife, she is an art appraiser, and she can probably identify it.