American illustrators commemorative postage stamps, now out of print.

Scroll down to view the lastest uploads. I'm adding them as I have time to keyboard the text.

Click on image to enlarge it. These stamps are no longer available from the U.S. post office but I've seen them for sale on eBay.

Text from the back of the sheet of 20 stamps reads:

Advances in printing and publishing made possible by the Industrial Revolution ushered in a new era for American illustrators during the last quarter of the 19th century, allowing their work to be reproduced with increasing fidelity and attracting some of the country's finest talents to the field. Illustrations originally commissioned for books, magazines, and advertisements today serve as an invaluable chronicle of American culture -- from fashions and fads to pivotal moments in history.

[That must be why we've got so many devoted viewers.]

All stamp images reflect details of original illustrations. The header artwork, by illustrator Franklin Booth (1874-1948), appeared on the editorial page of The Ladies Home Journal, February 1918. Maxfield Parrish illustration authorized by The Maxfield Parrish Family Trust. Rockwell Kent illustration © Plattsburgh State Art Museum, Rockwell Kent Gallery, Plattsburgh, NY. Norman Rockwell illustration © 1929 The Curtis Publishing Company. John Held, Jr., illustration courtesy of Judy Held.

I think the art director, Carl Hermann, deserves great credit for the selection he made.
Carl T. Herrman has been an Art Director for the U.S. Postal Service since 1992. He has directed more than 250 stamp projects including Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, and Comic Strip Classics; and designed over 50 stamps. Herrman also served as art director for five of the Celebrate the Century stamp panes. He has won over 260 awards for design and design management, including two gold medals from the Society of Illustrators.

Herrman’s career includes positions as Director of Creative Services and adjunct professor at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, and Director of Marketing and Publications for the University of California at Irvine. He has provided consulting services for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and numerous academic institutions. Herrman lives in Carlsbad, California

Details regarding the print run can be found at this link.

I'll add much more material as I find the time, so please be patient. To get us started, here's what was written about Howard Pyle on the backup sheet:

Howard Pyle (1853-1911) earned his reputation as the "father of American Illustration" by training a generation of influential artists at his highly selective school. Often illustrating his own stories, Pyle inspired readers with vivid depictions of history and legend.

An Attack on a Galleon, from the story "The The Fate of a Treasure Town" by Howard Pyle, Harper's Monthly Magazine December 1905; Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware.

You can read more about Howard Pyle and his works by clicking on this link, which is a posting I did earlier in the life of this blog.

James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960) was an outspoken celebrity known as much for his wit as for his drawing of glamorous women. He was his own model for a magazine cover of Uncle Sam proclaiming "I Want You," which became one of his many military recruitment posters.

First in the Fight, Always Faithful, U.S. Marine Corps poster, c. 1918; Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

You can view more about Flagg and his work by clicking here, and here.

Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) used alternating layers of paint and varnish to create the shimmering fantasy lands in his popular illustrations for books, advertisements, magazines, and calendars. The color of his skies is still known as "Parrish blue." In 1925 an estimated one in four homes owned a Parrish print.

Interlude (The Lute Players), mural for the Eastman Theatre, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, 1922

Click on this link for more work by Maxfield Parrish.

Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874-1951) illustrated more than 300 covers for The Saturday Evening Post and was a role model for Norman Rockwell. Leyendecker also created the Arrow Collar Man, an advertising icon who won the hearts of countless young women.

Arrow Collars and Shirts advertisement, 1923

You can view more about Leyendecker and his work by clicking here.

Robert Fawcett 1903-1967) brought a superb sense of composition to his magazine and advertisement work; he was also the author of On the Art of Drawing. Fawcett is best remembered for creating detailed illustrations to accompany a series of Sherlock Holmes stories in Collier's magazine.

Carrier Corporation refrigeration advertisement, 1949

You can view more of Fawcett's work here. and here.

Coles Phillips (1880-1927) consistently demonstrated his strong sense of design with his "fadeaway girl," who wore colors and patterns that blended into the background of each illustration. His depiction of stylish women graced numerous advertisements and magazine covers.

Luxite Hosiery advertisement, 1918

You can view more of Phillips' work here and here.

Dean Cornwell (1892-1960) was a magazine illustrator whose dynamic paintings accompanied stories by Ernest Hemingway, Pearl S. Buck, and other prominent writers. He is also remembered for his murals, including an ambitious rendering of the history of California for the Los Angeles Public Library.

Cover illustration for True magazine, February 1953; Ohio River Museum, Marietta, Ohio

View more of Cornwell's work here and here.

Rose O'Neill (1874-1944) was a self-trained artist who invented the cupid-like whimsical Kewpies in 1909 while illustrating for magazines. The popular Kewpies also appeared in advertisements, and today Kewpie dolls are still prized collector's items. O'Neill was also a talented sculptor, novelist, and poet.

Kewpie with Kewpie Doodle Dog, date unknown

You can view more of O'Neill's work here.

Arthur Burden Frost (1851-1928) who specialized in humorous drawings, is best remembered for illustrating the Uncle Remus stories of Joel Chandler Harris. He was also a faithful chronicler of sports and rural life, especially golfing and hunting.

Br'er Rabbit watercolor, date unknown; Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts

View more of A.B. Frost's work here.

Al Parker (1906-1985) delighted the public with illustrations of mothers and daughters for the covers of women's magazines. Parker demonstrated a wide rang of styles, constantly changing his own approach while setting fashion trends in the process.

from "How I Make a Picture," correspondence school lesson, Famous Artists Advanced Program, Institute of Commercial Art, Westport, Connecticut, 1949

There's much more of Parker's work here.

Harvey Dunn (1884-1952) was a student of Howard Pyle before becoming an art teacher himself. He created haunting images as a military artist during World War I, and later he recalled his youth in a powerful series of paintings about life on the Dakota prairie.

Searching for Supper, c. 1940; Harvey Dunn Collection, South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, South Dakota

You can view more of Dunn's work here.

Jon Whitcomb (1906-1988) was a prolific magazine illustrator known for his depictions of stylish and glamorous women. Whitcomb served as a Navy artist in the Pacific during World War II, and also created a dramatic series of advertisements anticipating the postwar homecomings of American soldiers.

Back Home For Keeps, Oneida, Ltd. silverware advertisement, 1943

There's more of Whitcomb's work here.

Nora McMein (1888-1949) was a magazine and advertising illustrator, a portrait artist, and a member of the Algonquin Round Table. One of McMein's significant contributions to commercial art was her domestic design for the original Betty Crocker character.

cover illustration, McCall's magazine, June 1932

You can view more of McMein's work here.

Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935) was a student of Howard Pyle who specialized in pictures of mothers and children for magazines. In addition to creating nearly 200 covers for Good Housekeeping, she is also remembered for her enchanting illustrations in children's books such as Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies.

The First Lesson, from The Ladies' Home Journal, December 1904

For more examples of her work clink on this link.

Edwin Austin Abbey (1852-1911) began his career as a magazine illustrator and later achieved renown as a painter and muralist. A meticulous researcher, Abbey strived for detail and authenticity in his depictions of Shakespeare and other traditionally British subjects.

Galahad's Departure, from Harper's Monthly Magazine, September 1902; illustration for The Quest for the Holy Grail, mural for the Boston Public Library

Click on this link for a better image and other works by Abbey.

Frederic Remington (1861-1909) romanticized the American cowboy even as he recorded the end of the Old West in paintings and magazine illustrations. He served as an artist and correspondent in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, and was also noted for his bronze sculptures.

A Dash for the Timber, 1889; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas

For more of Remington's work, click on this link.

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) was a versatile wood engraver, lithographer, book illustrator, painter and muralist. He designed a striking edition of Herman Melville's Moby Dick, and wrote and illustrated accounts of his rugged travels in Alaska, Greenland, and South America.

from Moby Dick, Random House, 1930

[I have that book and once saw some of the originals at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. They were the cleanest and most meticulous renderings I have ever seen.]

For more examples of Kent's work click on this link and this one.

Newell Convers Wyeth (1882-1945) was a student of Howard Pyle before his prolific career as a book and magazine illustrator. Whether painting pirates, knights, or scenes from American history, Wyeth brought a strong sense of drama to his work, turning literary masterpieces into illustrated classics.

Captain Bill Bones, 1911, from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson; Brandywine River Museum, Chadd's Ford, Pennsylvania

Click on this link for more images.

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) charmed the country for decades with his idealized depictions of American life in magazines, calendars, and advertisements. He painted more that 300 covers for The Saturday Evening Post and was awarded the Pennsylvania Medal of Freedom in 1977.

cover illustration, The Saturday Evening Post, March 9, 1929

Click on this link for more of Rockwell's work.

John Held, Jr. (1889-1958) was a cartoonist who chronicled American culture and college life during the Jazz Age. He also wrote and illustrated several books, designed sets for plays, and served as artist-in-residence at Harvard University and the University of Georgia.

The Girl He Left Behind, 1920s

For more of Held's work, click on this link.

Comments

[Paul Giambarba]

He taught at the New York School of Art with William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri and Edward Penfield -- all heavy hitters. You might try the NY schools who back in time 100 years and The Society of Illustrators in NYC. Good luck.

[Linda Fountain]

Looking for some biographical information on an illustrator, painter named Clifford Carlton. I found a piece listed for sale on some site that said he was an American 1867 to 1946. Want to find out as much as I can about the man. Do you know where I might start looking?

[Realestate]

Happy New Year! Happiness and success in 2011.

[old postage stamps]

It is a shame they are out of print. It makes those that you do have extra special though.

[Betty]

This really was a treat. I see some of my own favorites here. I collect Uncle Sams but didn't know Flagg was the artist of the original poster. Loved learning about him. I'm a huge fan of JC Leyendecker, Penfield, and Coles Phillips and Dana Gibson. They inspire me. Jessie W. Smith has one illustration of a child in bed looking out the window with a bunny on a little stool in the foreground that I will cherish forever. I've just recently discovered Rockwall Kent while searching wood prints. He was fascinating and kept fascinating company. And I also love John Held Jr. He captured a slice of Americana like no other. What a hoot! Have you ever done a photo montage on Postal murals? I haven't been successful in finding these on line. We have such a grand history of American illustrators. I miss hand rendered art (vs computer generated) very much. Always - thank you for sharing. Betty.

[Norman MacDonald]

This is an absolute delight. It is like re-living the N.American art and illustration world, if there ever was a difference between the two. I didn't realize Hopper was an illustrator. The photo of him working is a hoot.
A blog I shall be following.
Norm.

[College Research Paper]

I appreciate the work of all people who share information with others.