BIBLIOGRAPHY

  1. Cutler, Laurence & Judy Goffman Cutler. (2008). J.C. Leyendecker: American Imagist.

  2. American Artists: J. C. Leyendecker, Gatchel & Manning, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. Celebrating their 50thAnniversary; January, 1940.  A Heralded Publication: (No.10)

  3. Guptill, A. L. (1940). Successful Drawing. Watson-Guptill.

  4. Hanes, R. (2008). J.C. Leyendecker: American Imagist. Universe Publications.

  5. Smith, L. C. (2008). J.C. Leyendecker: The Last Lion of Commercial Art. Illustrated Press.

  6. Brooker, W. (2016). J.C. Leyendecker: The Great American Illustrator. Schiffer Publishing.

  7. F. Taraba (1996) The J.C. Leyendecker Collection, American Illustrators Poster Book/  (includes full-page image of Leyendecker’s “Santa and Boy” / “Santa’s Lap”)

  8. Schau, Michael. J.C. Leyendecker. New York: Watson-Guptil Publications, 1974 

  9. Michaelis, D. (2000). N.C. Wyeth: A Biography. Harper Collins.

  10. Robinson, J. (2000). The Illustrator in America, 1880-1980. Society of Illustrators.

  11. Reed, Walt. A. (2003). Illustrators of the Golden Age. Dover Publications.

  12. Zimmer, L. (2004). The J.C. Leyendecker Collection. National Museum of American Illustration

  13. Weisman, Frederick, Museum of Art./ Pepperdine University; Flesk, 2013.

  14. Mott, Frank L. "The Saturday Evening Post." A History of American Magazines. Vol. 4. Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1957, 671-716.

  15. Tebbel, John. George Horace Lorimer and the Saturday Evening Post. Garden City, New Jersey, Doubleday, 1948.

  16. Wood, James Playsted. "Magazine Reflection of a Nation: The Saturday Evening Post. " Magazines in the United States: Their Social and Economic Influence. 3rd ed. NewYork Ronald Press, 1971.

  17. Santa Claus: An Examination of J.C. Leyendecker's Santa Illustrations." Antiques & Collecting Magazine,Volume 109, Issue 12.

  18. Smith, L. C. (2008). "Christmas Advertising Art: J.C. Leyendecker's Santa." Journal of American Culture,Volume 31, Issue 1.

  19. Guptill, A. L. (1942). "The Christmas Legend: The Work of Leyendecker." American Artist, Volume 6, Issue 8.

  20. Michaelis, D. (2001). "J.C. Leyendecker's Christmas Covers." Illustration Magazine, Issue 3.

  21. "The Santa Claus of J.C. Leyendecker: An American Icon." Norman Rockwell Museum Blog, December 23, 2016.

  22. "J.C. Leyendecker: The Man Who Defined Santa Claus." Santa Claus Conservatory Blog, December 18, 2018.

  23. "The Art of Santa Claus: J.C. Leyendecker's Legacy." Antiques & The Arts Weekly, December 23, 2016.

  24. "The Santa Claus Legacy of J.C. Leyendecker." John Fleskes' Blog, December 24, 2013.

  25. "J.C. Leyendecker's Santa Claus: The Evolution of a Christmas Icon." The Saturday Evening Post Blog,December 17, 2020.

  26. "The Models Behind the Art: Exploring J.C. Leyendecker's Creative    Collaborators." Norman Rockwell Museum Blog, April 8, 2020.

  27. "Unveiling the Models of J.C. Leyendecker: Faces Behind the Iconic Art." Illustration History Blog, October 14, 2019.

  28. "Modeling for J.C. Leyendecker: A Glimpse into the Lives of His Inspirations." Antiques & Collecting Magazine, Volume 112, Issue 6.

  29. "The Silent Heroes: Remembering the Models of J.C. Leyendecker." American Illustration History Blog,March 21, 2018.

  30. "Faces of Inspiration: Models Who Brought J.C. Leyendecker's Art to Life." Illustration Insights, Issue 7.

  31. "J.C. Leyendecker's Muses: The Untold Stories of His Models." Art Models Blog, July 12, 2017.

  32. "Behind the Canvas: The People Who Posed for J.C. Leyendecker." Creative Muse Quarterly, Volume 4, Issue 2.

  33. "The Forgotten Figures: Uncovering the Real People in J.C. Leyendecker's Art."  

  34. "Modeling for a Legend: Personal Stories of J.C. Leyendecker's Models." Artistic Expressions Journal, Issue 15.

  35. "The Living Canvases: A Glimpse into the Lives of J.C. Leyendecker's Models." Art and History Chronicle,Volume 22, Issue 3.

  36. Society of Illustrators: Americans Abroad – J. C. Leyendecker and the European Academic Influence on American Illustration, 2008

  37. ***Jan Cohn : Covers of the Saturday Evening Post, Viking Studio Books,1995

  38. Philip Gibbs – The Graphic, An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper -“The Old Man with the White Beard” – The Spirit of Santa Claus, December 28, 1912, Page 1040. Article (w photograph) about Pat Kearny, the Santa Claus model that J. C. Leyendecker utilized numerous times (starting in 1907). Ohio State Library.

  39. Walt Reed, The Illustrator in America 1860-2000. Published by The Society of Illustrators.  2001 by Watson-Guptil. Pages 150-151. Color Reproduction of “Santa’s Lap” illustration completed by J. C. Leyendecker for cover of December 22, 1923 Saturday Evening Post magazine.

  40. The Saturday Evening Post- Reflections of a Decade; The Curtis Publishing Company, 1980.

  41. Walt and Roger Reed, Learning from Masters of the Past – J. C. Leyendecker, Step-by Step Graphics, Pages 86-93. (January-February, 1987).

  42. Bill Vann & Dan Zimmer, Illustration Magazine, Volume 1, Number 1, Spring 2001. Pages 2-23. (Special Issue on Haddon Sundblom & Coca-Cola Santas)

  43. The Saturday Evening Post Christmas Treasury, Leyendecker Painting “Santa’s Lap” PLATE 3, Dover Publications, 2017

  44. Ledermann, Robert P. - Christmas on State Street : 1940’s and Beyond – Arcadia Publishing, 2002.

  45. The Family Circle Magazine, December 22, 1944 – Vol 25, No. 25 (cover image only)

  46. Francis P. Church, Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus, 2001 by Running Press.

  47. The Night Before Christmas, published by Coca-Cola brand books, (Sundblom images exclusively).

  48. The Philadelphia Bulletin, newspaper archives – 1930-1938. Christmas images for billboards & signs, misc. advertising, company subscription campaigns. (Leyendecker imagery).

  49. Lands’ End Holiday Catalog for 2003 (80th Anniversary of Leyendecker’s “Santa’s Lap” appearance on the cover of the December22, 1923 magazine, The Saturday Evening Post).  Cover Image re-visited.

  50. Janet Giovanelli, editor - Santa Claus: The Story behind the LEGEND, Centennial Media, 2021.

  51. Vincent A, Yzermans – WONDERWORKER – How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus, ACTA Publications, 1994.

  52. Interwoven Socks Archives (miscellaneous)- usage of Leyendecker Santa images; product packaging, banners & posters, extensive printed advertising. (1932-1940).

  53. Myers, Robert J. "Santa Claus." The World Book Encyclopedia: S-Sn. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1990.

  54. Nissenbaum, S. (1997). The Battle for Christmas. Vintage Publications.

  55. Bowler, G. M. (2004). Santa Claus: A Biography. McClelland & Stewart.

  56. Finell, F. M. (1992). Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas, Spanning 50,000 Years. McFarland & Company.

  57. Restad, P. (1996). Christmas in America: A History. Oxford University Press.

  58. McGowan, P. J. (2002). Saint Nicholas. Continuum Books.

  59. Weiser, B. (2010). Christmas: A Candid History. University of California Press.

  60. Ford, J. (2002). The Children's Book of Christmas Stories. Simon and Schuster.

  61. Bogert, Michele Helene. Artists, Advertising & the Borders of Art, Chicago, IL; University of Chicago Press, 1995.

  62. The Haggin Museum, Brochure for the “America’s ‘Other’ Illustrator” traveling show.

  63. Norman Rockwell Museum, Brochure for “J.C. Leyendecker Retrospective” show November 8th, 1997 through May 25th,1998; Stockbridge, MA. – ‘Santa’s Lap’ was the Featured Image’ in press releases, NRM special events, promotions. Required protective access for viewing & crowd control at NRM show.

  64. Rockwell, Norman (Introduction): The J.C. Leyendecker Poster Book, Watson-Guptil Publications, 1975. (over-sized publication)

  65. Al Dorne and Coby Whitmore, J.C. Leyendecker: An American Original. This book offers insights into Leyendecker's life, career, and artistic approach, as well as contributions from fellow artists who admired his work.  The booklet memorialized a hosted talk held at the Society of Illustrators, NYC

  66. Tarbox, Charles D., J.C. Leyendecker: A Catalogue Raisonne’

  67. Saunders, David, The Art of J. C. Leyendecker, The Illustrated Press (2021). Pg. 104

BLOGS:

The articles (below) prominently display Leyendecker’s Christmas image of 1923.

  • ****James Mason “J. C. Leyendecker’s Santa Claus” -
    James Mason Art Blog

  • **** Charley Parker “Leyendecker’s Santas”
    Lines and Colors

  • **** A. P. Sabourin, Illustrator “ Santa Claus Through the Years”
    A.P. Sabourin

  • **** Charley Parker “Illustrators’ Visions of Santa Claus”

  • Illustration Magazine special J. C. Leyendecker publication

  • NRM Retrospective Brochure; HAGGIN Museum coverage;

BIOGRAPHY

Admired by Norman Rockwell and acknowledged as one of America’s preeminent 20th century illustration masters, J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951) rose to fame as the creator of elegant artworks for mass publication. He was best known for paintings of fashionable men and women in a sleek, idealized style, perfectly suited for the many corporations that commissioned this work—from Arrow and Kuppenheimer clothing to Procter & Gamble, Kellogg’s, Pierce-Arrow Automobiles, and the United States Armed Forces. Leyendecker was celebrated for his Arrow Collar Man, a sophisticated and idealized trade character of his own design. A sensitive observer, he also created poignant, whimsical works capturing the antics of children, the bond between mothers and their infants, the blush of new romance, and the intensity of athletes engaged in sports. Between 1896 and 1950, Leyendecker illustrated more than 400 magazine covers for the nation’s trade and general interest publications, including Collier’s, Ladies’ Home Journal, Judge, and The Saturday Evening Post, for which he created 322 cover paintings (one more than Rockwell’s 321). In addition to his series of New Year’s baby covers, the artist depicted such all-American holidays as the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas; the tradition of giving gifts of flowers on Mother’s Day began with his May 30, 1914 Post cover, depicting a bellhop carrying a bouquet of hyacinths. Leyendecker was the artist most closely identified with the Post during the first decades of the 20th century. Norman Rockwell Museum’s Deputy Director/Chief Curator, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett observes that “like many illustrators of the era, Norman Rockwell idolized and imitated J.C. Leyendecker’s distinctive style, particularly as a fledgling artist in search of his own voice. The two eventually enjoyed a warm friendship during their years as neighbors in New Rochelle, New York."

Classically trained at the Chicago Art Institute, and the Colarossi and Académie Julian in Paris, Leyendecker was a supremely gifted draughtsman and technician who eschewed the use of photography in favor of direct drawing from life. His secret painting medium, a mix of oils and turpentine, produced the rich, fluid brush strokes and luminous painting surfaces that are the hallmarks of his work.