Leslie Thrasher Art

“The Green-Eyed Monster of Jealousy: Breathing Out Envy, It Swoops Down upon Sandy,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published April 9, 1927. Sandy is feeling gloomy while reme...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published June 16, 1928 Lil has returned home to her parents’ house after having her baby and the whole family tiptoes around trying not to disr...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published August 29, 1931. Lil and Sandy have been enjoying their summer weekends together as they begin to search for a new vacation home. Howe...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published February 16, 1929. Having just inherited a large sum of money from Uncle Ulysses, Lil and Sandy are on their winter vacation in Florid...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published May 23, 1931. Lil and Sandy have their friends Mr. and Mrs. Saunders Shanks over to their house for a game of cards. After settling do...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published August 7, 1926 Robert (Pop) Morse returns home from his work at the real estate office after the successful sale of a corner lot on Ma...

Original cover for Liberty magazine for the Christmas holiday issue, published December 23, 1933 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 19 x 19 in. Framed: 24.5 x 24.5 in. Signed Lower Left

“Seven A.M. – All’s Well: The Newlyweds’ Wave-Length Route to Health,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published December 3, 1927 Lil sleepily awakes to her alarm clock buzzing...

“Honeymooning at Greenville: Lil and Sandy Continue Their Scenic Trip,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published July 23, 1927 Sandy and Lil are on their honeymoon, which after an expensive stay at a mosquito-inhabited resort in Greenville, has not been going particularly well. Their disappointing fishing trip left them with more fly bites than fish bites. The newlyweds were eager to board the train, settle in to their sleeping car, and journey to their next destination. When Sandy attempts to bring Lil the glass of water she requested, the train suddenly jerks and ice water spills on a sleeping gentleman in the next berth. “‘Oh! Oh!’ Lil gasped, a witness to her husband’s social blunder. And she wished she were deaf!” (Liberty magazine, July 23, 1927, p. 45) “For the Love o’ Lil: The Picture Story of an American Family” In 1926, under his long-term contract to produce a cover per week for Liberty magazine, Leslie Thrasher introduced a signature cast of characters that appeared each week, telling a serialized story through his illustrations. Liberty touted its new cover serial as “something no magazine has ever done before…Heretofore, all magazine cover...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published October 17, 1931. As Lil’s Aunt Ruby, a “social gadabout” and “blithe widow of many years’ standing” arrives at the Jenkins family home for a visit, Sandy tries to hide his irritation once he sees the massive amount of luggage she had in tow. Aunt Ruby shows off an enormous new diamond ring and coyly announces she is to be married that fall and that her new fiance would be arriving shortly. As Lil scrambles up some hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, Sandy hears a car pull up to the house and is shocked to discover that Aunt Ruby’s future husband is none other than Sandy’s boss! (Liberty magazine, October 17, 1931, p. 37) “For the Love o’ Lil: The Picture Story of an American Family” In 1926, under his long-term contract to produce a cover per week for Liberty magazine, Leslie Thrasher introduced a signature cast of characters that appeared each week, telling a serialized story through his illustrations. Liberty touted its new cover serial as “something no magazine has ever done before…Heretofore, all magazine cover...

Signed Lower Left by Artist Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, September 6, 1913

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published March 16, 1929. Lil and Sandy return home from their vacation, finding the late winter weather dreary after experiencing the warm suns...

“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...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published January 9, 1932. Sandy and Lil are excited to welcome the new year in 1932 and leave the past year of job losses, stock market crashes...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published January 22, 1927. Blissful in her recent engagement to Sandy, Lil spends an evening at home knitting him a pair of green zigzag sport ...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published June 28, 1930. Gwendolyn and Ulysses sit on the front steps of the Jenkins house, wishing for rain so they could play in mud puddles. ...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published July 12, 1930. Lil and Sandy’s neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Smithers, take their daughter Gwen and little Ulysses to the beach. The childre...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published March 28, 1931. Gwendolyn Smithers is loudly singing to herself and disrupting the household. When Mrs. Smithe...

“The Doctor Calls: Spending the Morning with Lil’s Oldest Friend,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published May 5, 1928 Dr. Howard, the Morse family doctor, is caught in traff...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published February 7, 1931. It’s wintertime and the streets are filled with muddy slush as the children of the neighborhood, Gwendolyn Smithers and Red Hancock, play outside. Red climbs to the top of a swaying wooden fence and begins to walk across it like a tightrope as he brags to Gwendolyn, “I bet you can’t do this.” Hoping he would slip, Gwendolyn giggles, “Ho-ho! I bet I can do it with my eyes shut.” As his ankles shake on the wobbling fence, Red bravely shouts, “I dare you...

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...

“We Prefer Cigarets [sic]: Lil’s Hectic Hunt for Holiday Gifts,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published December 17, 1927 With only six days left before Christmas, Lil and h...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published May 30, 1931. The circus train arrived overnight and set up their great white tent, causing great excitement and anticipation to every...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published December 11, 1926 Sandy called on Lil one evening, only to find that his suspicions were true – Mr. Hammerschlosser, the aging and wea...

“Mother Knows Best: Mrs. Morse Dips Her Cheerful Oar,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published May 12, 1928 Mrs. Morse was very excited to become a grandmother for the first ...

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 ...

“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...

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...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published December 14, 1929. As Sandy and Lil retire to the sofa after dinner, Lil comments on how quiet Sandy has been after returning from hi...

Two young children play an ill-advised game of gum stretching on the family couch in this charming composition by famed American illustrator, Leslie Thrasher. Painted towards the start of the Great Depression, Thrasher provided light-hearted images of the lives of everyday people to distract Americans from their troubles. These images appeared on the covers of Liberty Magazine, for whom he produced one cover illustration a week for six consecutive years. 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 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...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published June 22, 1929. Sandy, away on a business trip, calls Lil to check in. The two discuss bills and talk about how much they miss each oth...

“None but the Brave: A 3 A.M. Melodrama,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published March 31, 1928 Lil awakens at two o’clock in the morning to a ruckus of a cat fight outside ...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published February 7, 1931 As Jerry the iceman drives his big truck up the hill, splashing through the slushy puddles, bystanders continue to sh...

A boy climbs out the window and sneaks out of the house to go fishing with his friend Artwork Dimensions: 28¼” x 26¼” Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published June 1, 1929. Sandy sits in the overstuffed chair of the posh Union Club, a known retreat for bachelors (and men who wish they still w...

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...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published August 4, 1928. Having left her husband Sandy, Lil returns to the Morse family home with her two-month-old baby. Ma Morse worries abou...

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed and Dated Lower Left Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, June 8, 1912

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published July 14, 1928. Lil worries about the effect of the summer heat on their sleeping newborn baby as Sandy crawls onto their apartment’s f...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published February 9, 1929. Sandy and Lil relax on a Florida beach, marveling at how wonderful it is to be rich, for the couple recently inherit...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published October 2, 1926 Sandy glowers as he sits at the table watching his rival Babe Dolan, the athletic lifeguard, flirt with Lil. Lil is entranced as Babe promises to make her a champion swimmer and the two are oblivious to the arrival of the waiter with the check, which Sandy reluctantly pays with nearly all of the remaining money in his wallet. (Liberty magazine, October 2, 1926, p. 54) This cover illustration was produced right after Liberty ceased their title contest for readers. “For the Love o’ Lil: The Picture Story of an American Family” In 1926, under his long-term contract to produce a cover per week for Liberty magazine, Leslie Thrasher introduced a signature cast of characters that appeared each week, telling a serialized story through his illustrations. Liberty touted its new cover serial as “something no magazine has ever done before…Heretofore, all magazine cover...

Signed Lower Left by Artist Liberty Magazine Cover, January 27th, 1934

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...

“Crashing the Gate: Sandy Paves the Way to His Big Business Scoop,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published March 10, 1928 Sandy confidently struts down the street, dapperly ...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published March 8, 1930. Gwendolyn teases little Ulysses for having a bald head after she had taken scissors to it on Valentine’s Day. Lil had frantically taken Ulysses to the barber in an attempt to salvage the remains of his hair, but there wasn’t much left and now his head “felt like a sprouting cactus.” Gwen points to the aquarium on the table and ties a piece of cord to a ruler, attaches a safety pin, and dangles the line above the surface trying to catch a goldfish. “Gwen stood there, stubbornly waiting for the possible turn in her fisherman’s luck!” (Liberty magazine, March 8, 1930, p. 57) “For the Love o’ Lil: The Picture Story of an American Family” In 1926, under his long-term contract to produce a cover per week for Liberty magazine, Leslie Thrasher introduced a signature cast of characters that appeared each week, telling a serialized story through his illustrations. Liberty touted its new cover serial as “something no magazine has ever done before…Heretofore, all magazine cover...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published October 13, 1928 Great Uncle Ulysses Grant Simpson comes to visit Sandy and Lil and stays for dinner, an event that he considers the c...

“Hearts are Trumps: Pop Morse, as the Dummy, Makes a Grand Slam,”original cover for Liberty magazine, published March 19, 1927 Pop Morse is immersed in his income taxes as Lil remin...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published August 2, 1930. Lil has given birth to a new blonde-haired blue-eyed baby boy weighing eight pounds and Ma Morse couldn’t be more exci...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published August 17, 1929. Lil calls Sandy down to a nice breakfast to be served in her new fruit dishes, as she asks Sandy to bring her purse and materials to fix the carpet runner, which he forgets. Lil is horrified to find her sideboard key in baby Ulysses’ mouth and she proceeds to feed the baby while asking Sandy to give her updates on a recent triple suicide outlined in the newspaper. Ulysses pounds his cereal spoon, sending sprays of milk across the table onto Sandy’s elbow and Lil’s new fifty-dollar negligee. (Liberty magazine, August 17, 1929, p. 38) “For the Love o’ Lil: The Picture Story of an American Family” In 1926, under his long-term contract to produce a cover per week for Liberty magazine, Leslie Thrasher introduced a signature cast of characters that appeared each week, telling a serialized story through his illustrations. Liberty touted its new cover serial as “something no magazine has ever done before…Heretofore, all magazine cover...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published March 2, 1929. After spending a few weeks in Florida, Sandy and Lil continue their winter vacation in Havana, Cuba, where Lil goes on ...

Date: 1930 Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed and Dated Lower Right Contact exact dimensions. Liberty Magazine Cover, April 12, 1930

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published February 2, 1929. Lil and Sandy stop by New York city on their way to Florida. Elegantly dressed and driving a fancy car, the couple a...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published July 24, 1926 Sandy, Lil, and their friends gather on the front porch of the Morse home to sing. They began in the late afternoon, but...

Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 21.00" x 17.00" Signature: Signed Lower Right

“I Promised My Wife: Sandy’s Business Trip Adventures,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published September 24, 1927 Traveling on a business trip, Sandy ventures out of his cut...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published April 25, 1931. Miss Wise tries to keep the children in her classroom focused during the day’s history lesson, but Gwendolyn Smithers ...

“And Why Not?: Lil and Sandy Warm Up Their Imagination,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published April 7, 1928 As Mr. and Mrs. Morse leave for a date night at the local lodge, Lil and Sandy spend an evening in front of the fireplace at the Morse home. Sandy turns on sentimental music, gathers marshmallows and a toasting fork, and lights the logs in his father-in-law’s fireplace. The fireplace’s golden glow becomes a picture frame for the couple’s dreams of their future son. Sandy excitedly imagines their baby going to college and being the “head of every class, scholarships galore, and captain of basketball, hockey, crew, and football.” Little Sandy is also imagined to be a brave soldier and even serve as future president of the United States. “Dreams of their son…red embers on the hearth…Their fireplace fantasy!” (Liberty magazine, April 7, 1928) “For the Love o’ Lil: The Picture Story of an American Family” In 1926, under his long-term contract to produce a cover per week for Liberty magazine, Leslie Thrasher introduced a signature cast of characters that appeared each week, telling a serialized story through his illustrations. Liberty touted its new cover serial as “something no magazine has ever done before…Heretofore, all magazine cover...

Original cover for Liberty magazine, published November 2, 1929. Sandy hides behind the newspaper at the breakfast table as Lil suddenly asks “Who is Marianthe? You talked about her...

She Loves Me ...She Loves Me Not, Liberty Magazine Cover, June 19, 1926 Original cover for Liberty magazine, published June 19, 1926. Sandy forgot that toda...

Date: 1926 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 20.00" x 16.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left Liberty magazine cover, November 6, 1926