This is a continuation of the earlier post The Holidays and J. C. Leyendecker to point out some of the early 20th century American illustrator’s New Years paintings.
Joseph Christian Leyendecker was first commissioned to illustrate the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1899. This would begin a fourty-four year long career which made him incredibly popular with the Post’s editors, and of course the readers. He came up with the idea of using a baby to illustrate the birth of a new year and faithfully returned to the theme at each New Years holiday.
Keeping up with current events, as always, Leyendecker would show the baby in all types of creative poses in relevant settings. The one above shows an optimistic rebound from the Great Depression. The ‘34 cover would show a baby tycoon reading stock ticker tape at the end of a rainbow. In the years to come the little tike would anticipate and participate in World War II sometimes with little uniform hats or helmets and a rifle.
Along with the New Year Baby, Leyendecker helped to popularize the new image of Santa Claus as a jolly red fat man in his now familiar suit, and he began the tradition of giving flowers on Mother’s Day in his May 30, 1914 cover shortly after President Wilson made the day an official holiday. His influence would reach the younger Norman Rockwell, who idiolized Leyendecker and emulated much of his style. Rockwell would go on to be the main illustrator for the Saturday Evening Post after Leyendecker.
Speaking of Rockwell… In the Christmas post I showed one of his Four Freedoms paintings. It’s interesting to find one of them in Empire of the Sun, the movie which introduced a young Christian Bale to the spotlight. Early in the movie, after talk of impeding war escalates, the Bale character is shown being tucked in by his parents (from whom he would soon be separated); a perfect resemblance to the Freedom From Fear. This was no accident, as the Bale character keeps a copy of the actual Rockwell print as a reminder of his parents.
Anyway, happy new year, baby.
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