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Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

American, 1863-1935
But success as an illustrator wasn't immediate. She got a job in the production department of The Ladies Home Journal in 1889 and was still working there five years later when Howard Pyle began teaching illustration at Drexel Institute of Arts and Sciences. Smith was accepted as a pupil in his first class. At 31, she was only 10 years younger than her teacher and one of his oldest students. Elizabeth Shippen Green and Violet Oakley soon joined her in the class, and the three became lifelong friends. Smith's first commission through Pyle was for an 1897 edition of Evangeline that she illustrated with Oakley. The two joined another Pyle student to rent a studio, and Green later joined them there. In 1901, the three shared the lease on an old inn outside of Philadelphia. That's the same year as the illustration above from "The Last of the Fairy Wands" in the December issue of Scribners Magazine. She produced two calendars with Green for 1902 that helped establish the careers of both women. The most important was "The Child," which showcased some of her most sensitive renditions of children to date. The images were collected into a book the following year. One of Smith's three images from that book is above at right. The magazines and books of the day voraciously consumed as much color work as possible. Pyle's students were some of the best-prepared new entrants into the illustration market, and Pyle's name gave them access to the magazines' pages.
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Artist: Jessie Willcox Smith
A Game of Checkers, Collier's Magazine Cover
A Game of Checkers, Collier's Magazine Cover

A Game of Checkers, Collier's Magazine Cover

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Mixed media on board Dimensions: 19.00" x 15.50" Signed: Lower Left Collier's magazine cover, January 1906 and appears as a color plate in Thirty Favorite Paintings by Leadi...

Category

Early 1900s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

"Morning" from "A Mother's Days" Illustration for Scribner's Monthly Magazine
"Morning" from "A Mother's Days" Illustration for Scribner's Monthly Magazine

"Morning" from "A Mother's Days" Illustration for Scribner's Monthly Magazine

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

This work is one of six paintings from the series “A Mother’s Days,” published in Scribner’s Monthly Magazine, December 1902 Exhibitions: New York, The Dahesh Museum of Art, Stories...

Category

Early 1900s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

The Little Land
The Little Land

The Little Land

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Gouache and Mixed Media on Board Signature: Signed Lower Left Illustration from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic poetry volume, 'A Chil...

Category

Early 1900s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Gouache, Board

The Daisy Wreath, cover for Harper's Bazar
The Daisy Wreath, cover for Harper's Bazar

The Daisy Wreath, cover for Harper's Bazar

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Mixed Media on Board Sight Size 18.50" x 18.00", Framed 21.50" x 21.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left Original cover for Harper's Bazar, published June 1910 One of America's greatest illustrators, Jessie Willcox Smith attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and studied under Thomas Eakins in Philadelphia, graduating in 1888. A year later, she found work in the production department of the Ladies' Home Journal, for five years. After that, she continued her art education with classes under Howard Pyle, first at Drexel and then at the Brandywine School. Smith then established her reputation, illustrating stories and articles for Century, Collier's Weekly, Leslie's Weekly, Harper's, McClure's,Scribner's, and the Ladies' Home Journal. Smith was closely associated with the artists Elizabeth Shippen Green and Violet Oakley, who also studied with Pyle, and the group became known as "the Red Rose Girls...

Category

Early 1900s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

"The Story Hour" Illustration for Harper's Bazar
"The Story Hour" Illustration for Harper's Bazar

"The Story Hour" Illustration for Harper's Bazar

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

This large oil painting depicting a sweet moment of maternal bonding was published as an interior illustration for Harper’s Bazar in May 1910. Jessie Willcox Smith gained renown for ...

Category

1910s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

The Great Drawing- Room Was Haunted by a Tuneful Spirit That Came and Went
The Great Drawing- Room Was Haunted by a Tuneful Spirit That Came and Went

The Great Drawing- Room Was Haunted by a Tuneful Spirit That Came and Went

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Story illustration for Louisa May Alcott's classic story Little Women featuring Beth March playing the piano in Mr. Laurence's grand house. The full...

Category

1910s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Watercolor, Gouache, Board

The Young Scholar, Original cover for Good Housekeeping magazine, October 1922
The Young Scholar, Original cover for Good Housekeeping magazine, October 1922

The Young Scholar, Original cover for Good Housekeeping magazine, October 1922

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Original cover for Good Housekeeping, published October 1922. The Young Scholar, reproduced on the cover of the October 1922 issue of Good Housekeeping, demonstrates Jessie Willcox ...

Category

1920s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media, Board

Two Young Girls
Two Young Girls

Two Young Girls

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Mixed Media Signature: Signed Lower Right Contact for dimensions.

Category

20th Century Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Woman with Child, Collier's Magazine Cover
Woman with Child, Collier's Magazine Cover

Woman with Child, Collier's Magazine Cover

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Date: 1904 Medium: Mixed Media on Board Sight Size 14.75" x 14.75", Framed 23.00" x 23.00" Signature: Signed Lower Right Cover of Colliers magazine,...

Category

Early 1900s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

Portrait of a Boy with a Toy Sailboat, Oil on Canvas, Signed, 1926
Portrait of a Boy with a Toy Sailboat, Oil on Canvas, Signed, 1926

Portrait of a Boy with a Toy Sailboat, Oil on Canvas, Signed, 1926

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Portrait of a little 2 1/2-year-old boy holding a toy sailboat in a seaside landscape. Inscribed on the stretcher: Peter Krumbhaar Age 2-1/2 Painting by J.W. Smith June-Sept. 1926 a...

Category

1920s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Thanksgiving, Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover
Thanksgiving, Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover

Thanksgiving, Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Lower Right Sight Size 15.50" x 15.00", Framed 23.00" x 22.00" signed Jessie Willcox Smith (lower right); signed Jessie Willcox Smith and titl...

Category

Mid-20th Century Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

Bobs, King of the Fortunate Isle
Bobs, King of the Fortunate Isle

Bobs, King of the Fortunate Isle

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Mixed Media on Board Signature: Signed Lower Right Annie W. Franchot, Bobs, King of the Fortunate Isle, New York, 1928, frontispiece illustration LITERATURE: Edward D. Nu...

Category

20th Century Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

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Previously Available Items
A Child's World, McClure's Magazine Interior Illustration
A Child's World, McClure's Magazine Interior Illustration

A Child's World, McClure's Magazine Interior Illustration

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Located in Fort Washington, PA

An interior illustration for McClure’s magazine, published in December 1909. This image of a little girl standing confidently on top of the world, hands on hips as the wind swirls he...

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Early 1900s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

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Mom with Apples, Good Housekeeping Cover
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1920s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

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Easter Morning, Good Housekeeping Cover, April 1927
Easter Morning, Good Housekeeping Cover, April 1927

Easter Morning, Good Housekeeping Cover, April 1927

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Located in Fort Washington, PA

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I Love my Little Cat
I Love my Little Cat

I Love my Little Cat

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Date: 1930s Medium: Charcoal, Gouache, Watercolor and Oil on Board Dimensions: 23.25" x 17.00" Signature: Signed Jessie Willcox Smith (Lower Left); Titled (Verso) Cover Illustration...

Category

1930s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Oil, Watercolor, Gouache, Board

Mother's Own
Mother's Own

Jessie Willcox SmithMother's Own

Sold

H 19.5 in W 14.25 in

Mother's Own

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Charcoal, Watercolor, Gouache and Oil on Illustration Board Dimensions: 19.50" x 14.25" Signature: Signed Lower Left Exhibited: "The Studios at Cogslea", February 20-March ...

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Early 20th Century Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Oil, Watercolor, Gouache, Illustration Board

June 1928 Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover
June 1928 Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover

June 1928 Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Date: 1928 Medium: Mixed Media on Board Dimensions: 20.75" x 16.75" Signature: Signed Lower Right Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover, June 1928

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Curly Locks, Good Housekeeping Magazine
Curly Locks, Good Housekeeping Magazine

Curly Locks, Good Housekeeping Magazine

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Date: 1914 Medium: Mixed Media on Board Dimensions: 18.00" x 25.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left Labeled "No. 2152 Good Housekeeping Magazine I...

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1910s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

When Christmas Comes Around
When Christmas Comes Around

When Christmas Comes Around

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Date: 1915 Medium: Mixed Media on Board Dimensions: 20.00" x 20.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left Exhibited: Christie's New York, Illustrating America: Norman Rockwell and His C...

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1910s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

Ploughing the Furrow, Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover
Ploughing the Furrow, Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover

Ploughing the Furrow, Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Date: 1919 Medium: Mixed Media on Board Dimensions: 21.75" x 15.80" Signature: Signed Lower Left

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The Sewing Lesson, Collier's Magazine Cover
The Sewing Lesson, Collier's Magazine Cover

The Sewing Lesson, Collier's Magazine Cover

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Date: 1907 Medium: Watercolor and Gouache and Charcoal on Board Dimensions: 21.13" x 18.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left December 1907 Collier's Magazine Cover Other...

Category

Early 1900s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Watercolor, Gouache, Board

Merrie Christmas, Cover of Good Housekeeping Magazine
Merrie Christmas, Cover of Good Housekeeping Magazine

Merrie Christmas, Cover of Good Housekeeping Magazine

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Date: 1930 Medium: Mixed Media on Board Dimensions: 17.75" x 16.50" Signature: Signed Lower Right Cover of Good Housekeeping Magazine, December 1930 Exhibitions: Christie's ...

Category

1930s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover, November 1919
Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover, November 1919

Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover, November 1919

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Approximate Date: 1919 Medium: Mixed Media, Oil on Panel Signature: Signed Lower Right Dimensions: 15.00" x 15.25"

Category

1910s Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil, Panel

Jessie Willcox Smith figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Jessie Willcox Smith figurative paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of figurative paintings to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, red and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Jessie Willcox Smith in board, mixed media, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Impressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Jessie Willcox Smith figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inch across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Frank Xavier Leyendecker, Martha Walter, and Frank Schoonover. Jessie Willcox Smith figurative paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $89,000 and tops out at $195,000, while the average work can sell for $137,500.
Questions About Jessie Willcox Smith Figurative Paintings
  • 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 10, 2025
    The most famous book that Jessie Willcox Smith illustrated is arguably Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. However, the American artist also produced illustrations for numerous other books. Among them were A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley, The Seven Ages of Childhood by Carolyn Wells, The Rhymes of Real Children by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and An Old-Fashioned Girl, also by Louisa May Alcott. Explore a range of Jessie Willcox Smith art on 1stDibs.