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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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Period: 1920s
Artist: Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Study for Saturday Evening Post Cover 'Boy with Lantern'
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
This is a study for the 1926 Christmas issue of The Saturday Evening Post. December 25, 1926 Joseph Christian Leyendecker’s illustrations and advertisements fueled a collective visu...
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Kuppenheimer Men's Clothing Advertisement study
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Study of Kuppenheimer Men's Clothing Advertisement
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Circus Dog, The Saturday Evening Post cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signed by artist lower right The Saturday Evening Post cover, July 29, 1922 This commission for The Saturday Evening Post is a brill...
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Kuppenheimer Famous Fifties Featuring John Barrymore
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Inscribed on back #174 House of Kuppeneheimer 1927 fashion advertisement, catalog cover.
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Easter Baby, Study
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Study Easter Sunday Baby
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Study for New Year's Baby (Blowing Bubbles)
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned This is a study for the cover illustration of the 1 January 1927 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, 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

Study for Butterfly Couple
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Kuppenheimer Clothing Advertisement Exhibitions: Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Old Corner House Museum, The Illustrator's Moment, July-October 1...
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Peeling Apples, Thanksgiving Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1925
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Middle Right Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, November 28, 1925 Literature: The Saturday Evening Post, November 28, 1925, cover illustra...
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Candidate, Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1917
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signature: Signed Lower Left Medium: Oil on Canvas Saturday Evening Post Cover, September 18, 1920 - Leyendecker addressed the theme of American patriotism in several ways. His famous Fourth of July covers asserted the import of American independence through stock characters: George Washington, Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, colonial Freedom Fighters, and modern-day soldiers. In addition, his World War I and World War II covers depicted soldiers proudly defending their country. Leyendecker also profiled U.S. presidents and historical figures - George Washington, Robert E. Lee, William Howard Taft...
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study for 'Who, Me Work?' Saturday Evening Post Cover
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Center Left Study for Saturday Evening Post Cover 'Who, Me Work?' January 23, 1926
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Kuppenheimer Good Clothes
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 28.00" x 21.00" Signature: Unsigned Literature: The Saturday Evening Post, June 14, 1923, illustrated as Kuppenheimer Clothing Company advertisementLaurence S. Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler, J.C. Leyendecker: American Imagist, New York, 2008, p. 91, illustrated in color p. 92 Notes: The Kuppenheimer Clothing Company used this painting as an advertisment for its men's clothing. The advertisement printed...
Category

1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Water Wings, Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1922
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Left Sight Size 24.00" x 19.00", Framed 32.50" x 27.00" Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, August 26, 1922. Exhibitions: JC Leyendecker...
Category

1920s American Modern Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, 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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Spring- Apollo and Animals
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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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Study for Saturday Evening Post, Thanksgiving edition (Nov. 29, 1924)
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker
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Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned Study for the Saturday Evening Post cover - Thanksgiving edition (Nov. 29, 1924). This is a pure period piece.
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New Year's Baby, Saturday Evening Post Cover
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Kuppenheimer Advertisement
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Date: 1920s Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 16.00" x 8.75" Signature: Signed Lower Right Advertisement for Kuppenheimer clothes, 1920's. This is a finished and signed study. ...
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1920s Joseph Christian Leyendecker Figurative Paintings

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Traffic Stop, Saturday Evening Post Cover
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New Year's Baby, Saturday Evening Post Cover
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PRICE UPON REQUEST. Beginning to Rain, New Years Baby, Saturday Evening Post Cover, December 31, 1927. Exhibitions: JC Leyendecker and The Sat...
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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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