A new exhibit has been installed in the Ginkgo Room at Olin Library featuring illustrations from the Jazz Age. The reproductions on display feature illustrators John Held Jr., Henry Raleigh, Nell Brinkley, Georges Lepape, and Władysław Teodor “W.T.” Benda and others. The illustrations are from the Walt Reed Illustration Archive, Charles Craver Collection and Henry Raleigh Collection. The exhibit will remain on view through the end of the semester.
John Held Jr. (1889-1958)
Held was one of the best-known magazine illustrators of the 1920s. He created cheerful art showing his characters dancing, motoring and engaging in fun-filled activities. The drawings defined the flapper era so well that many people are familiar with Held’s work today.
Undated illustration from an unknown publication
Life Magazine, November 25, 1926
Cosmopolitan, 1925
Henry Raleigh (1910-1940)
Raleigh was known as the Gatsby Era Story Illustrator. He created illustrations for many well-known authors for books and magazines, including F. Scott Fitzgerald and H.G. Wells. Raleigh started off as a newspaper artist, but later became widely respected and sought after for his unique and distinct style of illustration.
Illustration for fiction story Alien Corn
Illustration for fiction story Forlorn Hope
Illustration for fiction story Thirty-Day Princess
Nell Brinkley (1886-1944)
Brinkley was commonly referred to as the “Queen of Comics” during her nearly four-decade career working with New York newspapers and magazines. She was the creator of the iconic Brinkley Girl, a stylish character who appeared in her illustrations and became a popular symbol in songs, films and theater.
American Sunday Twice-Month Magazine, undated
American Weekly, December 21, 1920
Georges Lepape (1887-1971)
Lepape was a leading fashion illustrator who worked for magazines including Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar. The real turning point in his career came when publisher Condé Nast asked him to work for Vogue for which he designed the cover of the first UK edition.
House & Garden, March 1928
Vogue, March 1, 1933
Władysław Teodor “W.T.” Benda (1873-1948)
Benda was an American painter, illustrator, and designer. He illustrator books, short stories, advertising copy, and magazine covers for Collier’s, McCall’s Ladies’ Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Theatre Magazine and many others. Benda’s women were often exotic and mysterious, characteristics themes in 1920s culture and fashion.
Undated illustration from an unknown publication
Saturday Evening Post, August 12, 1933
The Shrine, September 1927
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