EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 25 © 2019 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

66 this might have been a current mishap, owed to a faulty elastic or the frailty of the undergarments that could usually slide down while walking. Truth of the matter was that the whole idea came from an overeager artist in search of a spicy idea to exploit, one for which he will be remembered and produced other imitators, among them Jay Scott Pike. Born in 1907 in Chicago, Illinois, Frahm studied at the Art School of his home town under the tutelage of three great illustrators: Andrew Loomis, Frederic Mitzen and Ben Stahl. After his studies, he served as an apprentice at a printer’s shop where he learned about graphic design and printing. It was rumoured that he might have served as an apprentice to Haddon Sundblom, which might explain the similarities between both artists (Frahmwould also do paintings for a famous American soft drink). What was certain was that in 1935 Frahm had opened his own studio and started doing pin-up calendars for various of the largest calendar publishers. Four years later when his daughter Diana arrived, she would be the model for the Coppertone ads he painted. ABOVE: The Firehouse , oil on canvas. Illustrations like this might remind us of the work of Norman Rockwell. It’s not known whether Frahm worked for the different magazines of the time, this probably being a calendar for a fire department service. The amusing situation is typical of Frahm’s work, who loved incorporating humour into his paintings.