Joseph Christian Leyendecker (March 23, 1874 – July 25, 1951) was one of the preeminent American illustrators of the early 20th century. He is best known for his poster, book and advertising illustrations, the trade character known as The Arrow Collar Man, and his numerous covers for The Saturday Evening Post. Between 1896 and 1950, Leyendecker painted more than 400 magazine covers. During the Golden Age of American Illustration, for The Saturday Evening Postalone, J. C. 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. Leyendecker "virtually invented the whole idea of modern magazine design
Before Rockwell, a Gay Artist Defined the Perfect American Male
Nobody had to tell J.C. Leyendecker that sex sells. Before the conservative backlash of the mid-20th century, the American public celebrated his images of sleek muscle-men, whose glistening homo-eroticism adorned endless magazine covers. Yet Leyendecker’s name is almost forgotten, whitewashed over by Norman Rockwell’s legacy of tame, small-town Americana.
Rockwell was just an 11-year old kid when Leyendecker created the legendary “Arrow Collar Man” in 1905, used to advertise the clothing company’s miraculous detachable collars. One of America’s first recognizable sex symbols, this icon of masculinity was defined by his poise and perfection, whether on the SPORTS field or at the dinner table. Like the Gibson Girl, the Arrow Collar Man developed a singular identity, equal parts jock and dandy, who supposedly received more fan letters than silent film heartthrob Rudolph Valentino. To top things off, Leyendecker’s men were often modeled after his lover and lifetime companion, Charles Beach, making their secret romance a front-page feature across the U.S.
Born in 1874, Joseph Christian Leyendecker emigrated with his family from Germany to Chicago in 1882 and soon began apprenticing with illustrators. After a brief stint studying art in Paris, Leyendecker returned to Chicago, where he established relationships with renowned magazines like “Collier’s” and “The Saturday Evening Post,” for whom he would ultimately design 322 covers. (To view more Leyendecker images, see our slideshow.)
While Leyendecker was also known for his depictions of apple-cheeked children and elegant women, it was his stern, brooding men who created the greatest impact. With their strong jaws and perfectly tailored clothes, Leyendecker’s men were featured in the pages of newspapers and magazines across the globe, selling everything from luxury automobiles to socks. Leyendecker’s fictional world of affluence and beauty influenced other pop-culture touchstones, like the fantastic setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”
As fashions changed and the U.S. entered World War II, Leyendecker’s career slumped, curbing his extravagant lifestyle. After his death of a heart attack in 1951, Leyendecker left few assets for his partner, Charles Beach, and many of his original paintings were sold at a rummage sale for $75 each. Alfredo Villanueva-Collado, a former literature professor at the City University of New York and established collector of Bohemian art glass, filled us in on his J.C. Leyendecker collection and the fascinating story behind this oft-neglected male image maker.
This is a lovely painted picture and the photo doesn't do it justice!!! The box is signed on the back with Artists signature.
FEDOSKINO
The term lacquer is applied not only to the special coating liquids but also to the articles so treated, whether they are made of wood, metal or paper mashe. The technique originated in Japan, China and Persia and oriental lacquer work first became known in Europe in the 16th century. By the 18th century lacquer snuffboxes decorated with miniatures and made in England, France and Germany had become fashionable. One of the greatest European centers for such items was Johann Stobwasser's manufactory in Braunschweig. In 1795 the Russian merchant Pyotr Korobov visited the Braunschweig works and his enterprising mind quickly grasped that cheap and simple articles could be mass-produced using this very durable combination of materials. Within a year he had opened his own factory on the outskirts of Fedoskino. At first it employed just over twenty people. It made most of its money from manufacturing the varnished peaks of military caps and helmets. However, the factory also became famous for its simple, most often round, snuffboxes.
The "golden age" of the Russian lacquers would begin after 1819 when the factory passed into other hands: his son-inlaw Pyotr Lukutin and the latter succeeded Korobov by his own son Alexander. The originality of the scenes depicted and the high quality of these articles made the Fedoskino masters so famous that in 1828 Lukutin was given the right to insert the Russian coat of arms and his own surname on the boxes. The most important article of production remained the snuffbox. But now it was made in a variety of shapes, symmetrical oval, and rectangular and more complex forms. The box fitted snugly in the hand and its edges were smoothly rounded. All the minor details such as the rim of the lid and the delicate frame around the miniature were finely delineated. Each of these centers follows one of the two varieties of lacquer painting, using oils or tempera. The FEDOSKINO tradition derives from Russian classical painting and miniatures of the 18th and early 19th centuries and the Russian folk arts. There three to four layers of oil paint are applied, each being dried and coated with a transparent lacquer, before the entire completed work is polished. The several layers of painting result in a tonal richness and glowing of the colors. The paints are applied in thick opaque layers and in "through-painting" with translucent paints over an under-layer of gold leaf or mother of pearl which makes the colors seem to Sparkle from within. Gold, silver and bronze powders were often employed instead of gold leaf. Such multiple layers of painting are one of the striking features of the Fedoskino miniature.
Refund policy:You will be 100% delighted or return within 7 days (longer if abroad) for refund excepting P&P.We take feedback very seriously,please remember if you are not happy with our service,then please contact us.
Please leave feedback once you have received the item so that i know it has arrived safely.I will leave feedback in return.
FREE UK POSTAGE!!!! (We take IBAN payments as well as Paypal from outside UK) We speak French , English , German and Russian.
Smoke & Pet Free Item