Bidspirit auction | Eugene Zim Zimmerman Original Hand

Eugene Zim Zimmerman Original Hand Painted Sporting Goods Advertising Sign - An original hand-painted illustrative advertisement created by the American caricaturist Eugene Zimmerman, who worked under the pseudonym Zim. This point-of-sale display is rendered in gouache or tempera on a thick brown fiberboard substrate and features a humorous scene of two children and a dog looking into a shop window. The characters are depicted in a classic period caricature style, with the boy wearing an oversized striped newsboy cap and knickers, and the girl wearing a floral-adorned hat. The dog stands on its hind legs, peering at a jeweled dog collar on display inside the window. The upper section of the board features hand-lettered text that reads SPORTING GOODS FOR EVERY SEASON. The dialogue between the two children is written in a phonetic dialect: SAY PETE! I WISH YOU'D BUY ME SOME ROLLER SKATES on the left, and SILENCE YER WISHIN' KID! — IF DE PURP HEARS YA HE'LL BE WISHIN FER A DIMIN DOG COLLAR on the right. The artwork is signed Zim in the lower right corner. The board is mounted in a simple, period wooden frame. The reverse side features a handwritten number 61 and a hanging wire. Height: 32 inches Width: 21 3/8 inches. The board substrate has a significant vertical crack extending from the top center edge down into the upper text area. Notable moisture and water staining are present along the bottom edge, affecting the lower portion of the painted figures and the dog. Minor surface abrasions, scuffs, and light paint loss are visible throughout the image area. The wooden frame shows age-related wear, including surface scuffing, dust accumulation, and minor wood loss along the edges.