J.C. Leyendecker: Cherub with Top Hat

Joseph Christian Leyendecker developed as a major talent near the turn of the twentieth century and became the most in vogue American illustrator of his day. He reached the peak of his fame and productivity in the 1930?s. J.C. Leyendecker was a keen student of self-promotion and quickly established an easily identifiable style. Leyendecker?s approach to his career influenced the art of illustration and he became a mentor to an entire generation of younger artists, most notably Norman Rockwell, who began his career by specifically emulating Leyendecker.

Between 1896 and 1950, J.C. Leyendecker painted more than four hundred magazine covers. During The Golden Age of American Illustration for the Saturday Evening Post alone, Leyendecker produced 322 covers, as well as many advertisement illustrations for its interior pages. No other artist, until the arrival of Norman Rockwell two decades later, was so solidly identified with one publication. (American Illustration.org)

Print suitable for framing.