This is a tiny original photo from the late 1950s. The man (artist) is using  HIMSELF as reference photo  for a painting  w/ one of his incomplete paintings on an easel in his kitchen in front of him (how RETRO-meta!) 

 Back in the early 1990s, a friend of mine who is an antiques dealer, got a phone call that 

 this guy had died . It was his wife and she wanted to sell most of his "art estate". 

 He was a professional illustrator in the NYC area and - for the life of me- I cannot remember his name.

The one thing I do remember was ; one of the deluxe paperback cover original art paintings my friend

got from the estate - was one that featured actress Barbara Nichols as the model for the painting.

She had on a white blouse , a straight skirt , and was all disheveled / assaulted looking and standing midway on a dark 

 street corner ; I believe one arm was above her head - and she was leaning on a street lamp post. Ripped clothes, etc. 

 Ring a bell ? LOL. 

Anyway - this is a unique & tiny peak into the life of one of those "classic" paperback cover artists ! 

 

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