J. C. Leyendecker had a long career that extended from the mid-1890s until his death in 1951. During that time he worked for a wide range of commercial, editorial and government clients.
Before 1902: Chicago and Paris As a staff artist at
J. Manz & Company J. C. Leyendecker produced 60 Bible illustrations for the Powers Brothers Company, cover and interior illustrations for
The Interior magazine, and frontispiece art for
The Inland Printer. He also produced artwork for posters and book covers for the Chicago publisher E. A. Weeks. From ca.1895-1902, he provided artwork for the marketing materials of the Chicago men's clothier
Hart, Schaffner & Marx. While in Paris, J. C. Leyendecker continued providing art to Hart, Schaffner & Marx, produced artwork for 12 covers of
The Inland Printer, and won a contest (out of 700 entries) for the poster and cover of the midsummer 1896 issue of
The Century Magazine, which garnered national newspaper and magazine coverage. During the 1890s, Leyendecker was active in Chicago's arts community. He exhibited with and attended social events by the
Palette and Chisel Club, the
Art Students League, and the
Chicago Society of Artists. In December 1895, some of his posters were exhibited at the Siegel, Cooper & Company department store in Chicago. In January 1898 his posters for covers of
The Inland Printer were exhibited at the Kimball Cafetier (Chicago). During his 1895–97 time studying in Paris, J. C. Leyendecker's work won four awards at the
Académie Julian and one of his paintings titled "Portrait of My Brother" was exhibited in the
Paris salon in 1897. One of his posters for Hart, Schaffner & Marx titled "The Horse Show" was exhibited as part of the award-winning display of American manufacturers' posters at the
Exposition Universelle (1900) in Paris.
After 1902: New York City and New Rochelle After relocating to New York City in 1902, Leyendecker continued illustrating books, magazine covers and interiors, posters, and advertisements for a wide range increasingly prominent clients. His illustrations for men's product advertising, pulp magazines, and college posters earned him a reputation as specialist in illustrations of men. Major clients included the Philadelphia suitmaker
A. B. Kirschbaum,
Gillette Safety Razors,
E. Howard & Co. watches,
Ivory Soap,
Williams Shaving Cream, Karo
Corn Syrup,
Kingsford's Corn Starch,
Interwoven socks,
B. Kuppenheimer & Co.,
Cooper Underwear, and
Cluett Peabody & Company, maker of Arrow brand shirts and detachable shirt collars and cuffs. The male models who appeared in Leyendecker's 1907-1930 illustrations for Arrow shirt and collar ads were often referred to as "the"
Arrow Collar Man. But a number of different men served as models, and some developed successful careers in theater, film, and television. Among the models were
Brian Donlevy,
Fredric March,
Jack Mulhall,
Neil Hamilton,
Ralph Forbes, and
Reed Howes. Among the men who modeled most frequently for Leyendecker was the Canadian-born
Charles A. Beach (1881–1954). In 1903 Beach went to the artist's New York studio looking for modeling work. During the
First and
Second World Wars, Leyendecker painted military
recruitment posters and war bonds posters for the U.S. government., which still exists today as Mount Tom Day Camp.
Decline of career After 1930, Leyendecker's career began to slow, perhaps in reaction to the popularity of his work in the previous decade or as a result of the economic downturn following the
Wall Street Crash of 1929. Around 1930-1931,
Cluett Peabody & Company ceased using Leyendecker's illustrations in its advertisements for Arrow collars and shirts. In 1936,
George Horace Lorimer, the famous editor at the
Saturday Evening Post, retired and was replaced by Wesley Winans Stout (1937–1942) and then
Ben Hibbs (1942–1962), both of whom rarely commissioned Leyendecker to illustrate covers. Leyendecker's last cover for the
Saturday Evening Post was of a New Year Baby for the January 2, 1943, issue. New commissions were fewer in the 1930s and 1940s. These included posters for the
United States Department of War, in which Leyendecker depicted commanding officers of the armed forces encouraging the purchases of
bonds to support the nation's efforts in
World War II. ==Personal life==