J.C. Leyendecker

Oversize and filled with hundreds of popular and rare images, with a revealing text that delves into both his artistic evolution and personal life, J.C. Leyendecker restores this iconic image maker’s rightful position in the pantheon of great American illustrators and artists. “The wealth of illustrations here allows readers to reassess for themselves. Leyendecker represented the epitome of craft.” —Steven Heller, New York Times One of the most prolific and successful artists of the Golden Age of American Illustration, J.C. Leyendecker captivated audiences throughout the first half of the 20th century. From National Museum of American Illustration cofounders Laurence S. Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler, J.C. Leyendecker features his masterworks, rare paintings, studies, and other artwork, including the 322 covers he did for the Saturday Evening Post. Leyendecker is best known for his creation of the archetype of the fashionable American male with his advertisements for Arrow Collar. These images sold to an eager public the idea of a glamorous lifestyle, the bedrock upon which modern advertising was built. Leyendecker lived for most of his adult life with Charles Beach, the Arrow Collar Man, on whom the stylish men in his artwork were modeled. He also was the creator of instantly recognizable icons—such as the New Year’s baby and the Santa Claus that are to this day an integral part of the lexicon of Americana—and was commissioned to paint more Saturday Evening Post covers than any other artist. Chapters include: The Leyendecker Life The Leyendecker Look The Art of Advertising in a Product-Oriented Society Master of the Magazine Cover Book Illustration Posters: The People’s Art And more Richly illustrated and visually immersive, this coffee table book captures the artist who helped define the look of modern advertising and the image of the stylish American man, making it an essential addition for art lovers, designers, and collectors of Golden Age illustration.