Leslie Thrasher Paintings
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.to
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Artist: Leslie Thrasher
'Water Babies' Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
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...
Category
1930s Leslie Thrasher Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Trouble at the Garage
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 28.00" x 22.00"
Signature: Signed Lower Right
Category
Late 19th Century Leslie Thrasher Paintings
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 Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Gum Kids
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in New Orleans, LA
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...
Category
20th Century Other Art Style Leslie Thrasher Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Catnap, Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Signed Lower Left by Artist
Liberty Magazine Cover, January 27th, 1934
Category
1930s Leslie Thrasher Paintings
Materials
Oil
Roses with Mourning Due, Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Original cover for Liberty magazine, published September 18, 1926.
Lil receives an unexpected flower delivery at the Morse home, while a jealous Sandy glowers in alarm and disapprov...
Category
20th Century Leslie Thrasher Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Lil Watches Her Step!, Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
“Lil Watches Her Step!: And Plays the Feminine Lead in a Risky Office Drama,” original cover for Liberty magazine, published November 5, 1927.
Lil takes out her shorthand book as he...
Category
1920s Leslie Thrasher Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Green-Eyed Monster, Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
“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...
Category
1920s Leslie Thrasher Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 20.00" x 16.00"
Signature: Signed Lower Left
Category
Early 20th Century Leslie Thrasher Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Danger!, Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
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. ...
Category
1930s Other Art Style Leslie Thrasher Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Days That Are No More!, Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
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...
Category
20th Century Other Art Style Leslie Thrasher Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Hero, Liberty Magazine Cover
By Leslie Thrasher
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Original cover for Liberty magazine, published February 28, 1931.
After being struck by a car in a hit and run accident, Red Hancock is on his third day of recovery in the hospital....
Category
20th Century Leslie Thrasher Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Price Upon Request
Leslie Thrasher paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Leslie Thrasher paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of 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 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 paintings, 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 Craig Alan. Leslie Thrasher paintings 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.