Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 20.00" x 16.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left
Category
Early 20th Century Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
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Leslie ThrasherResolved, Liberty Magazine Cover1932
1932
$18,000
£13,644.69
€15,913.36
CA$25,834.94
A$26,046.62
CHF 14,831.26
MX$316,607.55
NOK 175,075.91
SEK 174,573.31
DKK 118,950.53
About the Item
Original cover for Liberty magazine, published January 9, 1932.
Sandy and Lil are excited to welcome the new year in 1932 and leave the past year of job losses, stock market crashes, and general hard luck behind. The couple is positive that brighter times are on the horizon as they make their new year resolutions. Lil promises to appease Sandy by never eating another onion, to not hog the bathroom for more than 30 minutes every morning, and to cut out other petty annoyances. Meanwhile, Sandy promises to break his irritating habits of nibbling crackers in bed, leaving cigarettes to burn out in the ashtray, among other things. The exchange ends in a marital squabble as Lil and Sandy discover how annoying they find one another’s quirks. (Liberty magazine, January 9, 1932)
“For the Love o’ Lil: The Picture Story of an American Family”
In 1926, under his long-term contract to produce a cover per week for Liberty magazine, Leslie Thrasher introduced a signature cast of characters that appeared each week, telling a serialized story through his illustrations. Liberty touted its new cover serial as “something no magazine has ever done before…Heretofore, all magazine covers have been disconnected pictures.” To help readers follow the plot from week to week, a short story summary was printed in each issue. (Liberty magazine, June 19, 1926, pp. 69-70).
“For the Love o’ Lil” centers around the lives of Lil Morse and Sandy Jenkins and includes recurring characters from their extended family and social circles. The serial follows the couples’ adventures through courtship, the ups and downs of married life, the antics of their offspring with the neighborhood children, and the complex dynamics of relationships with in-laws. The goal was to show a typical modern American family whose eccentricities and foibles would attract readers each week. Thrasher used himself as the model for Lil’s father, Robert E. Lee Morse.
Liberty further engaged readers by running contests for best titles, and later, for suggested storylines. The model proved successful and “For the Love o’ Lil” became a popular hallmark of the publication for many years, resulting in a 1930 film adaptation starring the flapper Sally Starr.
Leslie Thrasher
Leslie Thrasher first began contributing covers to Liberty in 1924, and in 1926 he was offered a contract to create a cover per week at the rate of $1,000 per week. Going against the advice of his friend Norman Rockwell, Thrasher accepted the contract, agreeing to complete a weekly cover for six years - an immensely challenging endeavor requiring that both new ideas and new artwork be produced at an extremely rapid pace. The continuing storyline of the cover serial “For the Love o’ Lil” helped Thrasher keep up with the constant demand for new images.
Due to declining circulation, Liberty terminated Thrasher’s contract in 1932. A few years later in 1936, Thrasher died from pneumonia caused by smoke inhalation from a fire in his home, which also destroyed much of his original artwork. An incredibly prolific artist, Thrasher had created more than 360 covers in his lifetime for various publications, including 23 covers for The Saturday Evening Post.
Leslie Thrasher was born in Piedmont, West Virginia. He studied art at the Philadelphia Academy and at the age of 16, won a scholarship that allowed him to study in Paris. Upon his return to the United States, Thrasher studied with Howard Pyle in Wilmington, Delaware and briefly worked as a portrait painter before moving to New York City to begin his commercial career producing illustration for magazines and advertising agencies. Thrasher also served in World War I, where he was assigned work as a camouflage painter.
Date: 1932
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 18.00" x 20.00"
Signature: Signed Lower Right
- Creator:Leslie Thrasher (1889 - 1936, American)
- Creation Year:1932
- Dimensions:Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Fort Washington, PA
- Reference Number:Seller: 3001stDibs: LU38431744633
Leslie Thrasher
Leslie Thrasher first began contributing covers to Liberty in 1924, and in 1926 he was offered a contract to create a cover per week at the rate of $1,000 per week. Going against the advice of his friend Norman Rockwell, Thrasher accepted the contract, agreeing to complete a weekly cover for six years - an immensely challenging endeavor requiring that both new ideas and new artwork be produced at an extremely rapid pace. The continuing storyline of the cover serial “For the Love o’ Lil” helped Thrasher keep up with the constant demand for new images. Due to declining circulation, Liberty terminated Thrasher’s contract in 1932. A few years later in 1936, Thrasher died from pneumonia caused by smoke inhalation from a fire in his home, which also destroyed much of his original artwork. An incredibly prolific artist, Thrasher had created more than 360 covers in his lifetime for various publications, including 23 covers for The Saturday Evening Post. Leslie Thrasher was born in Piedmont, West Virginia. He studied art at the Philadelphia Academy and at the age of 16, won a scholarship that allowed him to study in Paris. Upon his return to the United States, Thrasher studied with Howard Pyle in Wilmington, Delaware and briefly worked as a portrait painter before moving to New York City to begin his commercial career producing illustration for magazines and advertising agencies. Thrasher also served in World War I, where he was assigned work as a camouflage painter.
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