Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Soldier's Pride, House of Kuppenheimer Advertisement
1916-1917

About the Item

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: n/a Soldier's Pride was created as a component of Kuppenheimer's six-piece easel-backed World War I advertisement placards for in-store display. These pieces were expertly printed on a coated cardboard substrate so the black background would dramatically display the clothing item. Kuppenheimer & Hart Schaffner Marx were the two major manufacturers of military apparel during WWI & WWII. These images were very rarely used for advertising in America's mainstream periodicals - and the several known magazine appearances were always in trade journals or brochures specifically promoting military clothing. The cardboard easel-backed placards measured approximately nineteen inches high and they appeared both in store windows and as point-of-purchase promotions near the cash registers. They all had the Kuppenheimer "K" in the upper left corner. Sometimes the units were produced with Kuppenheimer lettering below the image. When America entered WWI in April 1917, Kuppenheimer was already manufacturing massive numbers of officer uniforms and apparel for enlisted personnel. This particular advertising campaign commenced in late 1916, and continued heavily until the end of 1917. Many Kuppenheimer stores displayed these patriotic advertising pieces through 1918. These Leyendecker showcards are coveted among collectors of US Military ephemera. We would like to thank Bud Moon for his historical research on the usage of the present work.

Creator:
Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874 - 1951, American)
Creation Year:
1916-1917
Dimensions:
Height: 40 in (101.6 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Period:
1910-1919
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Fort Washington, PA
Reference Number:
Seller: 42841stDibs: LU38437520542
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Joseph Christian Leyendecker

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)