1919
Joseph Christian "J.C." Leyendecker was born in Germany in 1874. He immigrated to the United States with his family in 1882. His eldest brother, Adolph, became a prominent stained glass artist, and Joe, as he was called, had an early artistic calling.
After studying at the Chicago Art Institute under John H. Vanderpoel, J.C. Leyendecker enrolled at the Académie Julien in 1896, where he studied for a year with his younger brother Frank in the Beaux-Arts tradition. During his time there, he was exposed to and influenced by the works of Art Nouveau painters and printmakers Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jules Chéret and Alphonse Mucha, with whom he formed a strong friendship. The next year, he staged his first one-man exhibition at the Salon du Champ-de-Mars and made the auspicious acquaintance of Paul Gauguin.
In 1898, Leyendecker produced the first of 48 covers for Collier’s magazine. The next year, he painted his first cover for The Saturday Evening Post magazine, which was the beginning of a 44-year association with that esteemed publication. Throughout his career, he would also paint covers for Life magazine, illustrations for a library of books, and transform advertising for such companies as B. Kuppenheimer & Co. and Interwoven Socks. His work for Arrow Shirt is the most well-known and beloved.
Using his lover and manager, Charles Beach, as a model, Leyendecker created the ultimate image of modern American masculinity. His work for Kuppenheimer, also known as the House of Kuppenheimer, is just as iconic. Founded in 1876, the company became the manufacturer of uniforms for the United States Army during World War I. Thanks to Leyendecker's advertising, the firm became synonymous with the ultimate in male taste and desirability.
Unfortunately, near the end of his career, as Leyendecker’s associations with Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post came to an end, his work fell into obscurity. When he died in 1951, his great friend Norman Rockwell, who commemorated their relationship in his painting Waiting for the Art Editor, served as one of his pallbearers.
Find original J.C. Leyendecker prints and paintings on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by M.S. Rau)
Easter, Saturday Evening Post Magazine Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Sight Size 24.75" x 18.63", Framed 34.00" x 18.50" Saturday Evening Post Cover, March 23, 1918 Exhib...
Canvas, Oil
Easter, Saturday Evening Post Cover April 19, 1930
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Saturday Evening Post Cover, April 19, 1930
Canvas, Oil
Bonneted Lady in Church, Easter Saturday Evening Post Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Middle Left Cover of Saturday Evening Post magazine (Easter edition), April 1905. This is one of Leyendecker's first Easter covers for the Sa...
Oil, Board
Study for 'Who, Me Work?' Saturday Evening Post Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Center Left Study for Saturday Evening Post Cover 'Who, Me Work?' January 23, 1926
Oil, Board
Study for 'Trimming the Pie'
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signature: Unsigned Medium: Oil and Charcoal on Canvas This piece is a preparatory study for J.C. Leyendecker’s final painting, Trimming the Pie (19...
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil
Thanksgiving, The American Weekly Cover, Preliminary Study
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Study for the cover of The American Weekly (Thanksgiving edition), published November 24, 1946 For the final published composition, Leyendecker painted the artist as a young man. ...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Vogue Magazine Cover – March 1, 1917 – Illustration by Frank X. Leyendecker
Located in Langweer, NL
Vogue Magazine Cover – March 1, 1917 – Illustration by Frank X. Leyendecker Elegant original Vogue magazine cover from March 1, 1917, featuring an exquisite illustration by Frank Xa...
Paper
Original 1939 Saturday Evening Post newstand vintage poster, linen-backed
By Frances Tipton Hunter
Located in Spokane, WA
Original 1939 Saturday Evening Post Newsstand Poster. Archival linen-backed and in A- condition, ready to frame. This exceptional original 1939 Saturday Evening Post newsstand poste...
Offset
Spring - Chalk design drawing for a Minton plaque by Herbert Wilson Foster
By Herbert Wilson Foster
Located in London, GB
HERBERT WILSON FOSTER (1846-1929) Spring Inscribed with title beneath the mount Chalk on paper, circular Framed Diameter 42 cm., 16 ½ in. (frame size 61 by 58 cm., 24 by 22 ¾ in.) Herbert Wilson Foster was born in Endon, Staffordshire. He attended Hanley School of Art before continuing his studies in London, Belgium and France. His paintings of rural and domestic subjects were exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1873 and 1899. In 1893 he accepted a teaching position at the Nottingham School of Art, where his pupils included Laura Knight and Harold Knight. Works by him are in the collections of the Minton archives; the Wisbech & Fenland Museum; Leicester Art Gallery; Rushcliffe Council and Nottingham Castle Museum. In addition to his work as a painter he worked as a porcelain painter, working at one point on the tile panels in the Victoria & Albert Museum. He is known to have worked at Mintons from 1872 where he specialized in portraits of contemporary personalities, including members of the Royal Family. This head of a girl was probably intended for a painted ceramic wall charger...
Chalk, Pencil, Paper
Original Saturday Evening Post, 1939 newstand authentic poster, linen backed
By Norman Rockwell
Located in Spokane, WA
Original 1939 The Saturday Evening Post newsstand vintage poster. Archival linen backed in excellent condition. Never folded and no restoration. Grade A. Rare and charming origi...
Offset
She's My Baby
By Norman Rockwell
Located in Saint Petersburg, FL
Offered at an exceptional price, this piece is in excellent condition and will ship rolled. Edition number 173 / 200. There are 200 pieces in the edition all signed and numbered b...
Lithograph
"The Equestrian" Gene Pressler, Countryside Setting, American Society Portrait
By Gene Pressler
Located in New York, NY
Gene Pressler The Equestrian, circa 1925 Signed lower left Pastel on canvas 32 x 24 inches Gene Pressler was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1893 or 1894, and lived in New Jers...
Canvas, Pastel
