Victory Park
1201 N. Pershing Ave.
Stockton, CA  95203
(209) 940-6300   
info@hagginmuseum.org

Barking up the Wrong Turkey, oil on canvas, 1926. This painting is one of 322 Leyendecker created for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. © Curtis Publishing, Inc.

Leyendecker studied in Paris at the Académie Julian and Calorossi's, two of the most celebrated art schools in Paris, and at once became the star pupil. After making a name for himself in Europe (having illustrated the Bible), he returned to the United States, devoting himself to a career as an illustrator.

Between 1898 and 1918 he created 48 cover paintings for Collier's magazine and in 1899 produced his first cover for The Saturday Evening Post. It was the first of 322 covers he would create for the magazine, more than any other artist, including Rockwell.

Watch and listen to a recording of Museum Director Tod Ruhstaller's illustrated lecture of Leyendecker's life and incredible career. (High-speed Internet access required)

Though few today recognize the name Leyendecker, his work was some of the most popular of its day, owing to his ability to convey the essence of both everyday life in America and international events through paintings that reflected his unique sense of drama, romanticism and humor.

In 1905 he received his most important commission when he was hired by Cluett, Peabody & Company, Inc., which manufactured Arrow Brand shirt collars. The "Arrow Collar Man," as well as the images he created for Kuppenheimer Suits, Interwoven Socks and the Cooper Underwear Company (precursor to Jockey Intl.), soon came to define the fashionable American male of the early 20th century.

View a photo gallery of the original Leyendecker paintings.

While men's fashion was probably the most significant aspect of Leyendecker's advertising opus, his artwork was used to promote a host of other products, including soap, automobiles and cigarettes. And starting in 1912, he captured the hearts of American mothers through a series of images featuring cherubic infants, winsome children and wholesome adolescents enjoying bowls of Kellogg's Corn Flakes. Fourteen paintings from this series are included in the exhibition.

When America entered WWI, he joined his fellow illustrators in creating posters in support of the war effort, promoting the purchase of war bonds, enlistment and resource conservation.

By the end of the 1930s, the demand for Leyendecker's imagery had waned and he painted his last cover for the Post shortly after America entered WWII. On July 25, 1951, Leyendecker suffered a heart attack and died at his home, where he lived with Charles Beach. Beach was the original Arrow Collar model and had become Leyendecker's assistant, business agent and companion – a relationship that lasted nearly 50 years.

Among the pallbearers at Leyendecker's funeral was Rockwell, who by this time had become the Post's premier cover artist and was well on his way to becoming America's favorite illustrator.

Leyendecker once told fellow illustrator Orson Lowell that he would rather have his work reproduced well and enjoyed by the masses than to have a select few view it in a museum or gallery. Nevertheless, we feel he would surely approve of this opportunity to share his warmth, humor, imagination and tremendous talent with the people of the 21st century.

The Haggin Museum's collection of original works by Leyendecker represents the largest held by any museum and was assembled in the 1950s by former director Earl Rowland (1890-1963). An admirer of the artists of the "Golden Age of American Illustration," Rowland contacted some of the companies Leyendecker had worked for to solicit donations. He also contacted individuals, such as the artist's sister, Augusta Leyendecker, who had inherited a number of his original canvases. His respect for the man led him to secure a headstone for the artist's unmarked grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, New York.

MUSEUM INFORMATION
The Haggin Museum is located in Stockton's Victory Park, 1201 N. Pershing Avenue, and is open Wednesday-Sunday, 1:30-5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults 18 and up; $2.50 for youth ages 10-17, students with a valid I.D., and seniors 65 and over; and free for museum members and children under 10 accompanied by an adult.

Free docent-led tours may be booked in advance by contacting Lisa Cooperman at (209) 940-6315 or education@hagginmuseum.org. For disabled access, call ahead at (209) 940-6311 or 940-6317.

The Museum Store is open Wednesday-Sunday, 1:30-4:30 p.m.