A. A. Blum Attributed Large Etching Circa 1930s in Original Frame Untitled

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Large Etching attributed to A. A. Blum Circa 1930s matted under glass in original frame. The etching depicts the interior … Read more Large Etching attributed to A. A. Blum Circa 1930s matted under glass in original frame. The etching depicts the interior of an antique shop and a man inspecting a shop item closely. Unsigned- possibly an artist proof. Measurements of the entire sheet containing etching are 19 1/4 H x 13 W. Measurements of the frame are 21 1/4” H x 3/4” D x 16 5/8” W. On the back of the frame there is a sticker for Kaufman’s Picture Framing in Cleveland HTS 18, Ohio.
Provenance: I purchased this framed etching from the grandson of a Hungarian immigrant in Cincinnati, Ohio. His Grandfather once lived in a neighborhood of Ohio that had a large Hungarian community. I have not been able to find another of this exact etching in my research however, it is so similar to another rare etching by A. A. Blum of the interior of “Peter’s Antique Shop”. I have consulted with a third generation expert of antique prints and they also believe this etching to be by A. A. Blum- even though they have never seen this in their lifetime until now. It is truly remarkable.
Biography of A. A. Blum: Alexander Anthony Blum was an American etcher, painter, illustrator and cartoonist. Born in Hungary, he immigrated to the United States with his family and underwent his formal art training at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Art Students League in New York. His early work comprised of paintings and detailed etching, but Blum is best remembered for the work he began producing in 1939 as an illustrator and cartoonist. The comic studio Eisner & Iger was his starting point and in 1939 his first known comic "Samson" was published by Fox Feature Syndicate. He utilized the pseudonym Alex Boon for the publication. Blum also worked for Quality Comics, Fiction House, and was one of the leading artists at Classics Illustrated, which produced comics of classic literature. He illustrated more than 25 comics for the studio, including "Treasure Island" (1949), "The Iliad" (1950), "The Jungle Book" (1951) and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1953).
Among Blum's other pseudonyms was "Armand Budd", which he used while working for Fiction House.
Alexander Aladar Blum was born in Budapest, Hungary on February 7, 1889. The family immigrated to the United States in 1904. His father seems to have disappeared when Alexander was listed as living with his mother Rosa in Kings in New York City in 1910 and where Alex is listed as the wage earner in the cencus working in the newspaper business as an artist. Blum began working to help support his mother and two siblings after finishing the 8th grade.
Blum studied art at the National Academy of Design in New York and at the Cincinnati Art Academy with painter/etcher Frank Duveneck and with etcher Charles F. Mielatz. Blum was a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club. He exhibited his etchings throughout the 1930s and 40s. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942. His work, primarily etching, focused on the everyday life of the people in the city and urban scenes.
Alex Blum moved to Rye, New York where he died in September of 1969. See less