Page 130 - Swann Galleries - Modernist Posters - Sale 2314 - May 13, 2013

ATTRIBUTED TO OTIS SHEPARD (1894-1969)
154 ● WRIGLEY’S. 1932.
103/4x20 1/2 inches, 27 1/4 x52 cm.
Condition B+: minor staining and abrasions in image. Framed.
Otis Shepard went to work for Wrigley’s gum in 1932 and stayed with the company for 30 years.
Although he generally signed most of his work, this unsigned image bears an unmistakable likeness
to his style, suggesting that it was one of the first he produced for the company. In dating this trolley
card, we used newspaper ads from 1932, many of which promote the gum as “kept right in
cellophane,” a phrase which did not appear in any subsequent years. Tom Purvis, in Poster Progress,
notes that “Otis Shepard, in his prolific work for Wrigley’s has found a happy balance between humor
and formal qualities of design” (Poster Progress p. 80). [1,000/1,500]
DESIGNER UNKNOWN
155 ● EXTRA MILD / HERSHEY’S MILD
AND MELLOW MILK CHOCOLATE. 1937.
46x31 inches, 1163/4x783 /4 cm.
Condition B+ / A-: creases and wrinkles at edges.
While this image appears to be the work of Otis
Shepard, it cannot be, as the artist worked
exclusively for the Wrigley Gum company from
1932 through the 1960s. What is certain,
however, is that both the typography and design
show that the artist was familiar not only with
Shepard’s style, but also certain progressive
design tenets from Europe. [1,200/1,800]
154
155