Leslie Thrasher
American, 1889-1936
Leslie Thrasher first began contributing covers to Liberty in 1924, and in 1926 he was offered a contract to create a cover per week at the rate of $1,000 per week. Going against the advice of his friend Norman Rockwell, Thrasher accepted the contract, agreeing to complete a weekly cover for six years - an immensely challenging endeavor requiring that both new ideas and new artwork be produced at an extremely rapid pace. The continuing storyline of the cover serial “For the Love o’ Lil” helped Thrasher keep up with the constant demand for new images.
Due to declining circulation, Liberty terminated Thrasher’s contract in 1932. A few years later in 1936, Thrasher died from pneumonia caused by smoke inhalation from a fire in his home, which also destroyed much of his original artwork. An incredibly prolific artist, Thrasher had created more than 360 covers in his lifetime for various publications, including 23 covers for The Saturday Evening Post.
Leslie Thrasher was born in Piedmont, West Virginia. He studied art at the Philadelphia Academy and at the age of 16, won a scholarship that allowed him to study in Paris. Upon his return to the United States, Thrasher studied with Howard Pyle in Wilmington, Delaware and briefly worked as a portrait painter before moving to New York City to begin his commercial career producing illustration for magazines and advertising agencies. Thrasher also served in World War I, where he was assigned work as a camouflage painter.| Materials |
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“Clothes Make the Man” Original cover for Liberty Magazine - For the Love o' Lil
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Original cover for Liberty magazine, published October 3, 1931
Sandy is excited to receive an unexpected $35 income tax refund check. After going to the bank, he goes to lunch with ...
Category
1930s Leslie Thrasher
Materials
Canvas, Oil
...Unto My Nephew, Sandford Jenkins, Jr..., Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Original cover for Liberty magazine, published January 26, 1929.
After the passing of Sandy’s Great-Uncle Ulysses, Sandy and Lil walk around the cluttered brownstone mansion he left...
Category
1920s Leslie Thrasher
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Santa
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in New Orleans, LA
A Salvation Army Santa looks on with a mixture of fatigue and disinterest as a group of children tell him their Christmas gift wish lists in this lighthearted composition by leading American illustrator Leslie Thrasher. This painting was created for the December 20, 1930 issue of Liberty Magazine, for which the artist illustrated covers on a weekly basis for six consecutive years. Thrasher is known for his scenes of everyday American life imbued with a sense of humor, qualities represented to great effect in this charming painting.
Born in 1889 in Piedmont, West Virginia, Thrasher studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts as a teenager and received a scholarship to study art abroad in Paris. Upon his return, he began studying under Howard Pyle, known as the “father of American illustration.” Thrasher sold his first cover illustration to the Saturday Evening Post in 1912, four years before Norman Rockwell’s first Post cover, and he would go on to produce over 360 magazine covers throughout his career. He painted humorous, relatable scenes of everyday life in America with colorful characters set against white backgrounds. He was also a successful commercial artist, painting advertisements for Cream of Wheat, Chesterfield Cigarettes...
Category
Early 20th Century Other Art Style Leslie Thrasher
Materials
Canvas, Oil
“Their Romantic Honeymoon: The Bride and Groom Visit Niagara Falls”
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
“Their Romantic Honeymoon: The Bride and Groom Visit Niagara Falls,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published July 9, 1927
Newlyweds Lil and Sandy are on their honeymoon at N...
Category
1920s Leslie Thrasher
Materials
Oil
Her Little Caveman, Liberty Magazine Cover, 1927
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
“Her Little Caveman: The Jenkinses’ Saturday Afternoon Drama,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published November 12, 1927
Sandy walks home carrying groceries after a day of ru...
Category
1920s Leslie Thrasher
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Heavy Going, Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Original cover for Liberty magazine, published January 19, 1930.
Ma Morse tries to convince Lil to accompany her to the church fair, but Lil doesn’t want to venture out into the sto...
Category
1930s Leslie Thrasher
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Two Men in Deck Chairs, Saturday Evening Post Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Signature: Signed Lower Right
Sight Size 26.00" x 32.00", Framed 40.00" x 36.00"
Two men in deck chairs. One of the men is looking very sick and pale, grippin...
Category
1930s Other Art Style Leslie Thrasher
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Washing Dishes
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Signature: Signed Lower Left
A woman and young boy are washing dishes together.
Charles Leslie Thrasher was made famous by signing on for a long-term contract to paint every single weeks cover for Liberty Magazine. It was a back-breaking commitment to work at such a pace and an even greater challenge to come up with enough original cover ideas. The latter problem was partially solved by settling on a continuing story line, which followed a couple's courtship, marriage and children. It was a popular series, later made into a movie called "For the Love of Lil." His marriage provided the ingredients for it, and he served as his own model for the hero. As the presentation was humorous and light, the artwork tended to be lightweight, below the standards of his earlier cover work for The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, and his advertising illustrations Cream of Wheat, Fisk Tires...
Category
20th Century Other Art Style Leslie Thrasher
Materials
Canvas, Oil
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Find a wide variety of authentic Leslie Thrasher art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Leslie Thrasher in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Not every interior allows for large Leslie Thrasher art, so small editions measuring 1 inch across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Ron Blumberg, Robert McIntosh, and Ben Fenske. Leslie Thrasher art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,050 and tops out at $175,000, while the average work can sell for $13,500.