“Can You Beat It” is a 1930s or 40s large vintage calendar print by James C. McKell. James C. McKell (1884-1956) was an American artist and illustrator. McKell did work for several magazines including "The Saturday Evening Post" and "Ladies Home Journal". Many of his illustrations featured cowboys and scenes from the Wild West.
"Can You Beat It" features a red-headed boy with his catch, fishing pole and dog whistling as he leaves the fishing hole, with older fishermen looking on in amazement. McKell's work is similar in style to Norman Rockwell and Hy Hintermeister.
"Can You Beat It" is from a calendar sample. It measures approximately 16" x 22" in total size and the image size is 14.75" x 19.5". The large image is in very good condition. The surrounding calendar has some tears and wrinkles that could be cropped out. At some point the calendar sampler portion was cut from the image.
Chuck Olson Legacy
Chuck Olson spent over 40 years collecting and traveling the United States in search of unique vintage prints. He was especially interested in prints that were printed for use on calendars in the “Age of the Calendar” from 1900-1960. Chuck’s prints are original prints created from the painting and not new reproductions.