Tag Archives: I love Lucy prop painting

Lucy’s Margo Alexander Schoolhouse Print

framedprint
Here is a mid century print by folk artist Margo Alexander of a little red schoolhouse that I have only seen on the show from the point of view of the screen capture above where Lucy is on a ledge outside the window of the Ricardo’s apartment. Continue reading Lucy’s Margo Alexander Schoolhouse Print

Ricardo’s Degas Print

lucy-degas-print
This is a print of the very famous art work by Degas, The Star – of a star dancer on stage. It is usually seen from the I Love Lucy living room set in the passageway to the bedroom.  Lucy and Desi will have stood before this image many times while waiting for their cue to enter the living room set.
degas
Title:  The Star – Dancer on Stage
Continue reading Ricardo’s Degas Print

Lucy and Ricky’s Landscape Art Print

ricardos-livingroom-print Here we refer to a framed print seen above the mantelpiece in the screen capture  from the episode “Ricardos Change Apartments” in which Lucy tries to convince Ricky to let them move to a bigger apartment.  This is a busy folk art print that seems to add to the effect Lucy creates when she fills the room with stuff to convince Ricky their apartment is too small.  At first glance the picture resembles  a paint by numbers creation. this is because the artist Margo Alexander was known for her gouache paintings in the style of a tapestry.

margo Farm Scene 17.5″h, 23.5″w by Margo Alexander 1894-1965 from her series of California Artist Provincials.
Margo Alexander’s  original medium was gouache painted in a flat tapestry like finish  as seen in her colorful farm scenes and country landscapes.  Her original folk art gouache paintings and serigraph silk screen prints are seen on the market occasionally. She also painted people and murals. Continue reading Lucy and Ricky’s Landscape Art Print

Lucy’s Grandma Moses Prints

grandmamosessoling
Grandma Moses “So Long” – depicts villagers going on a sleigh ride

grandmamosesprint
The framed print is of a Grandma Moses original painting entitled “So Long”. It is on of two prints seen near the entrance door of the Ricardo’s living room set.

Thanks to the generous commenter below we have an ID for the second  Grandma Moses print which  appears to be “The Old Snow Roller” 1948

The Old Now Roller 1948 Grandma Moses signed MOSES
The Old Snow Roller 1948 Grandma Moses (copyright reserved to Grandma Moses Properties, New York)

gramdnamosos-snowrollerAnna Mary Robertson Moses (September 7, 1860 – December 13, 1961), better known by her nickname of “Grandma Moses,” was a renowned American folk artist who only began painting earnestly at the age of 78. Grandma Moses was a celebrity at the height of her popularity when the I Love Lucy show began in October 15, 1951 so this print would likely have been recognized by many of the I Love Lucy viewers.

1953 Time Magazine Grandma Moses cover
1953 Time Magazine Grandma Moses cover

To give you an idea how famous she was at the time:

  • In 1949 President Harry S. Truman presented her with the Women’s National Press Club trophy Award for outstanding accomplishment in art.
  • In 1950 a documentary of her life, directed by Jerome Hill  was nominated for an Academy Award.
  • In 1950, the National Press Club cited her as one of the five most newsworthy women .
  • In 1951 the National Association of House Dress Manufacturers honored her as their  Woman of the Year.
  • In 1948 at age 88, Mademoiselle magazine named Grandma Moses “Young Woman of the Year”.
  • She was awarded two honorary doctoral degrees. The first in 1949 from Russell Sage College and the second two years later in 1951 from the Moore College of Art and Design.

Find Grandma Moses prints on eBay
Continue reading Lucy’s Grandma Moses Prints

I Love Lucy’s Bedroom Set Framed Ballet Pictures

The Ricardo's bedroom set - framed ballet pictures
The Ricardo’s bedroom set – pair of framed ballet sketches

In the bedroom Set of “I Love Lucy” prominently displayed on the wall behind the twin beds are a pair of ballet sketches in matching frames. One of these original prop sketches turned up on eBay in 2006 and the story that was related in the auction description is an interesting one.

Original pastel drawing from I love Lucy bedroom set
Original pastel drawing from I love Lucy bedroom set

Description from the auction lot:
“This is an ORIGINAL set piece or prop off of the Desilu set for the I LOVE LUCY show! It has been stored for the past forty odd years — and recently found — by me because it was in my family’s storage area since the early sixties!
It is the actual pastel and ink on art paper — an original piece of artwork, not a print — AND the original frame that was used as a prop on the set of the original I LOVE LUCY show starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.” Continue reading I Love Lucy’s Bedroom Set Framed Ballet Pictures

I love Lucy’s Folk Art prints

Lucy's primitive folk art prints over the fireplace
Lucy’s primitive folk art prints over the fireplace

After the Ricardo’s moved to the bigger apartment we see a pair of primitive folk art prints over the fireplace by the American artist E Melvin Bolstad.  In the early 50’s sets of similar prints were cheap and readily available and could be found in many homes. “The Three Alarmer ” is the title of one of the prints depicting a scene in a town when a fire breaks out. Continue reading I love Lucy’s Folk Art prints

I love Lucy Prop: Utrillo Painting Print

PROP PAINTING SCREEN-USED ON I LOVE LUCY
PROP PAINTING SCREEN-USED ON I LOVE LUCY

This is the screen-used original Utrillo print “Restaurant au Mont Cenis” we can see on so many episodes of  “I love Lucy” It was sold at auction on July 30, 2013  by PROFILES IN HISTORY for $8,000.  It is a print from an original painting of a street in Montmartre, Paris, by Maurice Utrillo, a native of Montmartre, who painted it in 1922.  It is interesting to compare it to the vintage postcard circa 1908,  photographed from an almost identical vantage point
Continue reading I love Lucy Prop: Utrillo Painting Print