About J. C. Leyendecker
Joseph Christian Leyendecker was one of the most prominent and financially successful freelance commercial artists in the United States. He was active between 1895 and 1951 producing drawings and paintings for hundreds of posters, books, advertisements, and magazine covers and stories. He is best known for his 80 covers for Collier's Weekly, 322 covers for The Saturday Evening Post, and advertising illustrations for B. Kuppenheimer men's clothing and Arrow brand shirts and detachable collars. He was one of the few known gay artists working in the early-twentieth century United States. 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. Leyendecker's first cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post was published in its May 20, 1899 issue, launching a forty-four-year association with the magazine. During the First and Second World Wars, Leyendecker painted military recruitment posters and war bonds posters for the U.S. government.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.