I knew John La Gatta. Ok, knew might not be exactly the right word. But I was in the same room with him on a number of occasions. I was a greenhorn student at The Art Center School in Los Angeles in the early sixties, fresh out of high school and had delusions of becoming […]
Robert Fawcett: At the Scene of the Crime
February 11, 2019 by
From the moment he could hold a pencil, Robert Fawcett began to draw. It turned out he had a true talent for it. Born in England but raised mostly in Canada and then New York, Fawcett dropped out of school at 14 to apprentice himself to an engraving shop and to work odd jobs until […]
A.B. Frost’s Early Street Sketches and Reportage
February 4, 2019 by
Arthur Burdette Frost’s early work was principally in pen line – like most book and magazine illustrations of the period. Line drawings reproduced better and were cheaper to engrave than halftone art. As one of Harper’s star artists, Frost was often sent out to cover articles on different parts of the country. Small towns and […]
Zany Trade Cards-Small ads of the late 1800s
January 28, 2019 by
One of the most popular forms of advertising for small businesses at the turn of the century were trade cards (small space ads). They were about half the size of today’s postcard. And they were typically a pre-printed color image on the front. The local businesses would print their own message on the blank reverse […]
A.B. Frost: The Sporting Art
January 21, 2019 by
Arthur Burdett Frost was one of America’s greatest artists. More than a famous magazine illustrator, who became best known for his sporting prints and paintings, he covered a wide range of subjects in his art. Frost’s depictions of the rural farmer, lowly shop-keepers and housewives, local politicians and black citizens of the old south were […]
Elegant pen work of Edwin Austin Abbey
January 14, 2019 by
Edwin Austin Abbey submitted pen and ink drawings to Harper & Brothers for two years before they bought one. That lead to 18 year-old Abbey joining Harper’s art department to work on Harper’s Weekly and Harper’s The Monthly Magazine. Abbey quickly established himself as a masterful pen and ink artist. He soon left Harper’s to […]
When Men Wore Hats. Seriously.
January 7, 2019 by
When guys really wore hats, before J.F.K. made them passe with his hatless public appearances, men wore them everywhere. Sporty hats, formal hats, top hats, caps, berets. While western hats (a.k.a. Cowboy Hats) are still popular in places today., (except for self-styled hipsters) the urban male has generally forsaken the topper. Maybe the nostalgic look […]
Leslie Saalburg | Dapper Dandies
December 31, 2018 by
Nobody epitomized quality men’s fashion back in the 1930s like Esquire Magazine and the artists who graced it’s pages with their illustrations. Names like Robert Goodman, George Hughes, Laurence Fellows and Leslie Saalburg rendered the latest in sartorial splendor for readers. Saalburg was probably the most prolific and also churned out advertising art for the […]
The Gentle Humor of Alajalov
December 24, 2018 by
Constantin Alajalov was a cartoonist who amused readers for decades with his humorous magazine covers that depicted everyday slice-of-life situations. He was born in Rostov, Russia and immigrated to the U.S. in 1923. He began doing odd jobs including painting a mural for a restaurant in New York city. His big break came when a […]
More of John Gallagher’s Cartoons
December 17, 2018 by
After my last post, I realized I had a bunch more of John Gallagher’s cartoons I wanted to share. Here’s another collection with more to come in the future.
