    |
John Crawford, known as “Jay,” was a famous fashion illustrator, the designer of the Bonwit Teller’s ubiquitous violet bouquet logo and founder of Quadrille fabrics in Manhattan. Originally from Orlando, Florida, he migrated to New York to attend Parsons School of Design. He spent his summers in Europe training under Van Day Truex in Paris and visiting numerous Chateaux and fine country estates to draw inspiration.In the 60’s Mr. Crawford was a contract artist for Bonwit Teller drawing fashion illustrations for newspaper ads, at times he worked alongside Andy Warhol. His fashion illustrations of haut couture designers such as Ungaro, Couregge, Cardin and Calvin Klein could be seen daily in the New York Times.
His impeccable eye and style easily translated to home décor, a talent that allowed him to design fabrics and wall-coverings, first for Woodson Wallpapers and then his own successful company Quadrille. He co-founded Quadrille In 1968, and became known for bold colors and designs. Quadrille continues to operate today under different ownership. Jay assembled a substantial art collection, containing dramatic 19th century European paintings by Jean-Leon Gerome to oversized canvases from the 1960’s and 70’s. The collection was left to the Orlando Art Museum and included notable artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Claudio Bravo, Richard Diebenkorn and Robert Motherwell. While at home in Bellport he designed a more casual setting in regards to his paintings and decorative arts, preferring Pompeiian lava engravings, dog pictures, painted furniture, Japanese lacquer trays on bamboo stands, delft pottery, Chinese porcelain lamps and comfy Quadrille upholstered sofas and chairs. We will be selling a portion of the Bellport property in our upcoming auction of October 25th and 26th, with the remainder of the collection in our November 7th auction. For Further Reading: |
THE ESTATE OF J. HYDE CRAWFORD, JR., BELLPORT, NEW YORK