Circa 1906
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)
$79,000
H 28 in W 22 in
"Mortmain" by Arthur Train, Book Illustration, 1918
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right
Canvas, Oil
$350,000
H 36 in W 30 in
The Candidate (Patriotic Politician), Saturday Evening Post Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signature: Signed Lower Left Medium: Oil on Canvas Artwork Dimensions: 28" x 22" Framed 36" x 30" Saturday Evening Post Cover, September 18, 1920 - Leyendecker addressed the theme of American patriotism in several ways. His famous Fourth of July covers asserted the import of American independence through stock characters: George Washington, Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, colonial Freedom Fighters, and modern-day soldiers. In addition, his World War I and World War II covers depicted soldiers proudly defending their country. Leyendecker also profiled U.S. presidents and historical figures - George Washington, Robert E. Lee, William Howard Taft...
Canvas, Oil
$105,000
H 19 in W 12 in
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
First Long Suit, Post Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signed by Artist Lower Right The Saturday Evening Post cover, September 18, 1937 One of the most prolific and sought-after artists of the Golden Age of Illustration, J.C. Leyendecker captivates the public with his striking, fashionable depictions of handsome men, glamorous women, and adorable children. Painted in 1937 First Long Suit not only encapsulates the high-fashion, glamorous fantasy world that Leyendecker strove to achieve over the course of his vastly successful career, it also poignantly captures a bittersweet moment that every parent experiences--watching our children grow up right before our eyes. Born in Montabaur, Germany, Leyendecker came to Chicago with his Catholic family at age eight. He apprenticed to a printer, J. Manz and Co., and then studied with John Vanderpoel at the Chicago Art Institute. In 1896, he won the Century magazine...
Oil
$32,000
H 10.25 in W 11 in
Upset Stomach, The Saturday Evening Post, Preliminary Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned The finished painting of this illustration was featured on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, ...
Canvas, Oil
$33,000
H 1 in W 1 in
50th Kuppenheimer Anniversary - Comprehensive Study
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned Sight Size 20.50" x 17.00", Framed 25.00" x 21.50" A study for a Saturday Evening Post advertisement on September 18, 1926. Joseph Chr...
Canvas, Oil
Kuppenheimer Good Clothes
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 28.00" x 21.00" Signature: Unsigned Literature: The Saturday Evening Post, June 14, 1923, illustrated as Kuppenheimer Clothing Company advertisementLaurence S. Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler, J.C. Leyendecker: American Imagist, New York, 2008, p. 91, illustrated in color p. 92 Notes: The Kuppenheimer Clothing Company used this painting as an advertisment for its men's clothing. The advertisement printed...
Canvas, Oil
Price Upon Request
H 32 in W 24 in
Sore Throat, Saturday Evening Post Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signed by Artist Lower Right Saturday Evening Post Cover, November 22, 1930
Oil
The Courtship, Success Magazine Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Left Sight Size 22.00" x 15.50", Framed 31.00" x 24.00" Success Magazine Cover, The Success Company, Ne...
Canvas, Oil
$105,000
H 22 in W 17.5 in
Preliminary Study for a Saturday Evening Post Cover "Tipping the Porter"
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Pencil on Paper Sight Size 22.00" x 17.50;" Framed 30.00" x 25.50" Signature: Unsigned Study for Cover of Saturday Evening Post Magazine, December 18, 1937 Exhibitio...
Paper, Oil, Pencil
The Connoisseur By Georges Croegaert
By Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert 1848-1923 Belgian The Connoisseur Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower right) Oil on panel A Cardinal peers through a magnifying glass at gilded treasures in...
Oil, Panel
An Amusing Thought by Georges Croegaert
By Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert 1848-1923 Belgian An Amusing Thought Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower left) Oil on panel This oil on panel by Belgian artist Georges Croegaert is a rich ...
Oil, Panel
Blackstone Cigars
By Norman Rockwell
Located in New Orleans, LA
A charming relic of a bygone era, this rare oil is the work of the inimitable American illustrator, Norman Rockwell. The iconic artist’s ability to render the details and nuances of ...
Canvas, Oil
Come and Get It! by Norman Rockwell
By Norman Rockwell
Located in New Orleans, LA
Norman Rockwell 1894-1978 American Come and Get It! Signed "Norman Rockwell" (lower left) Oil on canvas Norman Rockwell's decades-long collaboration with the Boy Scouts of Americ...
Canvas, Oil
The Buttonhole By Charles Spencelayh
By Charles Spencelayh
Located in New Orleans, LA
Charles Spencelayh 1865-1958 British The Buttonhole Signed “C.SPENCELAYH” (lower left) and inscribed “This Drawing was accepted into the Royal Academy but crowded out for want of ...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
Tender Years: Moth Holes by Norman Rockwell
By Norman Rockwell
Located in New Orleans, LA
Norman Rockwell 1894-1978 American Tender Years: Moth Holes Signed "Norman Rockwell" (lower right) Oil on canvas From Norman Rockwell's acclaimed Four Seasons calendar series for...
Canvas, Oil
Apollo, in all his divine glory, represents seasonal themes of reawakening and renewal in this cover illustration for ‘The Saturday Evening Post.’
Perhaps best known as a Revolutionary War hero, Revere was also an accomplished silversmith, and this pot is now available on 1stDibs.
