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Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

American, 1874-1951

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)

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Color:  Gray
Artist: Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Study for 'King of the Beach' Post Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
This is a preparatory study for King of the Beach, the cover illustration for the September 3, 1932 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.
Category

1930s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Three Amoco Studies
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signed by Artist Lower Right Amoco Oil Advertisements
Category

1940s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"The Postman Always Drinks Twice", Preliminary Study for Life Magazine
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned Preliminary study for Life magazine, Circa 1941. Features a study of the work titled; "The Postman Always Drinks...
Category

1940s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

New Years Baby, Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1907
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil Painting Signature: Signed Lower Right Sight Size 24.00" x 20.00", Framed 31.00" x 27.00" The Saturday Evening Post cover illustration, December 1907
Category

Early 1900s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Study for Irish Liberty
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned The present work is a study for the cover of the March 18, 1922 cover of The Saturday Evening Post.
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Toy Peddler Study
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right
Category

20th Century Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Man Dressing in Mirror
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Featured in The Saturday Evening Post
Category

20th Century Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Politician, Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1916
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, November 4, 1916 Literature: The Saturday Evening Post, November 4, 1916, illustrated on the ...
Category

1910s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Stoking the Furnace, Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1938
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Literature: The Saturday Evening Post, October 15, 1938, cover illustration. J. Cohn, Covers of The Saturday Evening Post, New Yo...
Category

1930s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Policeman and School Children, SEP Cover, Oct. 3, 1931
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signature: Signed Lower Right Cover Illustration: Saturday Evening Post, October 3, 1931
Category

1930s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Matador
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signature: Unsigned
Category

20th Century Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Yard Work, Saturday Evening Post Cover, Nov. 6, 1937
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signature: Signed Lower Right Cover Illustration: Saturday Evening Post, November 6, 1937
Category

1930s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lucky Bag Girl
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Hand Painted Fine Print Signature: Signed Lower Left
Category

1910s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paint

Study for 'Trimming the Pie'
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signature: Unsigned Medium: Oil and Charcoal on Canvas This piece is a preparatory study for J.C. Leyendecker’s final painting, Trimming the Pie (19...
Category

1930s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil

Study for 'Flowers for the President'
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned Sight Size 23.50" x 27.25", Framed 29.50" x 33.00" The present work is a study for Flowers for the President c...
Category

1930s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study for 'Happy Landing' Amoco Ad
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil and Pencil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned During his over four decades as the preeminent illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post, Joseph Christian Leyendecker's clever illustrations were eagerly anticipated by enthusiastic readership across the country, and none more so than his holiday designs. One of Leyendecker's most celebrated creations was his groundbreaking idea of the New Year's Baby. Originally portrayed as a fleshy sweet-faced child complete with tiny angel wings, the New Year's Baby gradually morphed into a worldly tot acutely aware of the social and political issues facing the nation at the time. In fact, Leyendecker's final Post cover illustration was the 1943 New Year's Baby. Following the success of these Post covers, the artist was hired to create advertisements for the American Oil Company (AMOCO). Throughout the 1940s and through the final years of his life, Leyendecker produced ads incorporating his famed New Year's Baby into AMOCO advertisements, as in the present work, Happy Landing...
Category

1940s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Pencil

Study for World War I Soldier Collier's Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned Study for the July 7, 1917 cover of Collier's National Weekly (the title story was "Why I'd Let My Boy Go To War").
Category

1910s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Easter, Saturday Evening Post Magazine Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Sight Size 24.75" x 18.63", Framed 34.00" x 18.50" Saturday Evening Post Cover, March 23, 1918 Exhibited: Christie's New York, I...
Category

1910s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cream of Wheat Ad Study
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Board Dimensions: 25.25" x 27.50"
Category

Early 20th Century Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

Spring- Apollo and Animals
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signed Lower Right Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, March 30, 1929
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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Previously Available Items
Boy Holding Pumpkin Carving of Teddy Roosevelt
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
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Executed for the October 26, 1912 cover of the Saturday Evening Post, Boy Holding a Pumpkin Carving of Teddy Roosevelt encapsulates J.C. Leyendecker's signature style. Bold and cheerful, the cover depicts a child proudly holding a Jack-o'-lantern he has carved in the visage of the former president. Renowned for his ability to capture the character of his models and convey a story through a single scene, Leyendecker's works are as engaging today as they were over a century ago. As the most popular and in-vogue cover artist for the Saturday Evening Post of his age, Leyendecker was commissioned to illustrate the most important editions of the publication and, most notably, the holiday issues. His Easter, New Years', Christmas and Halloween covers would become annual events for the Post’s millions of readers. This is a particularly charming example of these highly popular — and highly coveted — cover creations. Born in Germany in 1874, Leyendecker emerged as a major talent near the turn of the 20th century, becoming the most well-liked and sought-after American Illustrator of his day. In 1898, Leyendecker produced the first of 48 covers for Collier’s magazine. The next year, he painted his first cover for Saturday Evening Post magazine, which was the beginning of a 44-year association with that esteemed publication. Over the course of 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...
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Early 20th Century Other Art Style Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

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Canvas, Oil

Spring- Apollo and Animals
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
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Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, March 30, 1929
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1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

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The Challenge to Liberty
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Featured in The Saturday Evening Post, September 8, 1934. 'The Challenge to Liberty' by Herbert Hoover...
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Soldier Kneeling at French Memorial
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Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right The Saturday Evening Post, June 1, 1918, illustrated on the cover Jan Cohn, Covers of “The Saturday Evening Post:" Seventy Years ...
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Joseph Christian Leyendecker figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Joseph Christian Leyendecker 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, green and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Joseph Christian Leyendecker in paint, oil paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Joseph Christian Leyendecker figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inch across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Leslie Thrasher, Hunt Slonem, and Adam Mysock. Joseph Christian Leyendecker figurative paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,900 and tops out at $855,000, while the average work can sell for $114,500.

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