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As the Twentieth Century dawned entertainment was delivered to Americans via the
printed page. Newspapers provided immediate coverage; magazines offered more esoteric
materials for the upscale reader. Many small magazines were born – and usually
failed.
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The “Saturday Evening Post” was one exception. Cyrus Curtis purchased
the failing publication and revitalized it into America’s favorite weekly magazine.
One key addition to the new mix was artwork to entertain readers. Illustrations
for stories inside were added mimicking those in other publications. Most notably,
a new feature – the addition of an artist’s illustration on the cover
– became the trademark of the “Post” for more than a half-century.
The typical “Post” cover space became a showcase for America’s greatest
illustrators –those chosen because of their past accomplishments and those
who achieved their reputation from their “Post” work. The artwork of Harrison
Fisher, Guernsey Moore, J.C. Leyendecker, Edward Penfield, and N.C. Wyeth, to name
a few, adorned early “Post” covers.
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This artwork was so successful in selling magazines, the publisher even permitted
illustrators in the name of “design” to block out part of the magazine’s
nameplate with their drawings. The holiday cover became a memorable “Post”
tradition – New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, July Fourth,
Thanksgiving, and, of course, Christmas.
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By 1916 a budding illustrator, Norman Rockwell, began having his paintings on “Post”
covers. Rockwell’s work was so popular with readers that in 1926 the honor
of the first full-color cover (the colonial sign painter) was awarded to this young
New England artist. Rockwell’s on-going theme was Americana and all that was
good. Covers featuring youth told a story – striving for a dream, companionship
with a faithful pet, serving others (Boy Scout series). Everyday life, going to
and coming home from war, family values, and memories of the past (often of Victorian
whimsy) were only a small part of the Rockwell artistic arsenal.
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In February 1925 a new kind of magazine was born – The New Yorker. The idea was
to celebrate urban life in New York City during the Jazz Age by publishing the best
of contemporary literature and art. Rea Irvin was hired to oversee the artistic
content. Early cover images resembled bold Art Deco posters, but over the years
evolved into more detailed storytelling images.
The magazine’s first cover done by Irvin himself of Eustace Tilley raising his monocle
to examine a butterfly was re-published every February until 1994. More importantly
for art lovers, Irvin assembled a stable of artists who consistently painted memorable
imagery.
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This register grew to include Peter Arno, Constantin Alajalov, Dorothy Parker, Charles
Addams, William Steig, Arthur Getz, Edward Sorel, Art Spiegelman, to mention a few.
Today most New Yorker covers are available for purchase as giclee reproductions
on canvas and can be ordered through The Art-cade by special date, artist, or particular
image. These striking images uniquely commemorate a special occasion or can be displayed
as a beautiful piece of artwork.
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