Lot 74

John Philip Falter, Make it Good for Him! Circa 1942.

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John Philip Falter, Make it Good for Him! Circa 1942.

Estimate: $700 - $1,000

Starting Bid: $550

(0 Bids)

by Swann Auction Galleries
July 30, 2026 12:00 PM EDT
Live Auction
104 East 25th Street
New York, NY, US 10010

John Philip Falter
American, 1910-1982
Make it Good for Him! Circa 1942.

Condition B: replaced losses with mismatched overpainting in margins; repaired tears, creases, abrasions and restoration in margins and image and along vertical and horizontal folds.

This poster was "Reprinted through courtesy of Vultee Aircraft / by Commercial Textile Mills, Inc. / Martex Print Works, Inc., Clifton, N.J." This image of the pilot and plane was used in a 1943 ad for Vultee, entitled "The man we look up to!" and this poster is a rare variant and format.

John Falter was one of the leading American illustrators of the 20th century. Born in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, he studied art in Kansas City and New York. He is best known for creating 129 cover paintings for The Saturday Evening Post over a 25-year period beginning in 1943. During World War II, Falter joined the U.S. Navy and produced more than 300 recruitment and motivational posters. His artwork also appeared in major magazines including Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, McCall's, Life, and Look. After the war, he created more than 200 Western-themed paintings, illustrated over 40 books, and was commissioned by 3M in 1974 to paint six works for the American Bicentennial. He was inducted into the Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1976 and the National Academy of Western Art in 1978. Falter died in Philadelphia in 1982, and his papers are preserved by the Nebraska State Historical Society.

His original paintings remain highly sought after, often selling for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction. While this poster is more accessible to collectors than one of his original paintings, it benefits from the strong market for his work. Created just before or around the time of his Navy enlistment, it represents an important example of his wartime commercial illustration.

  • Dimensions: 43¾x31 inches, 111x79 cm. Martex Print Works, Inc., Clifton, N.J.
  • Condition: Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $149 $10
$150 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $5,999 $200
$6,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 $499,999 $20,000
$500,000 + $50,000