Pencil drawing on vellum.

Fritz Willis (1907-1979) was a pin-up artist who produced an annual pin-up calendar for Brown & Bigelow and wrote and illustrated instruction books for Walter Foster.

This was a preliminary drawing, done around 1970, for a pin-up calendar or a Walter Foster art instruction book. It was purchased in a lot from Willis' wife Pat in 1993 by pin-up art specialist Marianne Ohl Phillips.

Fritz Willis (1907-1979) handled ad work for Pepsi, Quality Papers, Max Factor, Purex, Sunkist, Crown Zellerbach, SpringMaid Sheets and others. He also did story work for Esquire, Saturday Evening Post, Redbook, Collier's, and covers for Ice Follies programs from 1952-1969. At least one movie poster, "On Our Merry Way."

An author himself, he wrote instruction books for Walter Foster (Art Secrets and Shotcuts, The Nude, Faces and Features, The Model, and a number of children's books (Cancan, Jelly and George, Muffin, Me Too, Amber - the Story of a Good Little Dog).

His 15-year stint of Artists's Sketchbook and other calendars for Brown & Bigelow made him one of the last pin-up greats. - Keith Swearingen

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