Jc leyendecker gay

11 Homoerotic Ads, Covers From 20th Century Gay Artist J.C. Leyendecker

There are few primary sources to corroborate Leyendecker’s sexual orientation, but many modern historians — and the Historical Society exhibit — present him as a gay man. Viewed from a 21st-century lens, Leyendecker’s covers for the Saturday Evening Post and Collier’s, and advertising images for men’s clothing, don’t have a gay subtext; they’re just gay.

Discover the work and influence of J.C. Leyendecker, a preeminent illustrator and commercial artist who helped shape American visual culture in the first three decades of the 20th century and whose illustrations often had unspoken homoerotic undertones. Many biographers have speculated on J. C. Leyendecker’s sexuality, often attributing the apparent homoerotic aesthetic of his work to a homosexual identity.

As a gay man who was not public about his sexuality, his artistry hints at society’s view of homosexuality at that time. “Under Cover: J.C. Leyendecker and American Masculinity” debuts at the. In , Frank and Mary Augusta moved out of the family home after a huge fight with Leyendecker and Beach, leaving them alone and, more importantly, unable to conceal the nature of their relationship. Working as a team, they produced oil paintings as illustrations for magazines and books.

Joe and Charles inaugurated a networking strategy of mixing business with pleasure, using social contacts to procure business. Their approach, however, was quite different. Wednesday, October 6, J. In a Saturday Evening Post cover from Thanksgiving , Leyendecker delivers a musket-wielding pilgrim locking eyes with a hunky football player whose right nipple is exposed through his torn jersey. IE 11 is not supported.

J.c. leyendecker: american imagist

Discover more about Leyendecker and the exhibit at nyhistory. Here you will discover the back stories of kings, titans of industry, stellar athletes, giants of the entertainment field, scientists, politicians, artists and heroes — all of them gay or bisexual men. Soon thereafter Charles destroyed all correspondence between them, as requested by Joe, in order to conceal their private relationship from future scrutiny.

For personal research purposes, could you please tell me what sources you used? To provide some historical context, though, Albrecht also included images of gay life in New York between the wars, including a photo of butch blues singer Gladys Bentley in a white tux and top hat and a painting of a gay bathhouse by artist Charles Demuth. Many of these covers used Beach as the model, and, even though the magazine was conservative and family-oriented, many featured what look to us like sexualized queer images.

He was short, yes, but he was elegant, and had delicate, beautiful features. The meaning of the scene was in the eye of the beholder. No one questioned these scenes because they simply reflected the reality of male behavior and were consistent with American norms, notwithstanding the sly glances and suggestive poses of some of the men in these depictions. The realization that he could make money and get famous by creating art for the masses, not just for wealthy patrons, stirred his imagination.

The ads he produced could only hint at a subculture that was burgeoning in cities like New York. Joe was short, nondescript and socially reticent, but at first glance he was head over heels for Charles Beach. It was around this time when, worried that rumors would destroy their career, Leyendecker tried to set up an arranged marriage with one of his favorite female models, Phyllis Frederic.

Commissions dried up and Leyendecker painted his last Post cover in , dying in relative obscurity in The two shared a home in New Rochelle, New York, for nearly 40 years. Their destinies changed forever on a fateful day in when Frank welcomed into the studio a gorgeous Canadian, Charles Beach — , who was offering his services as a model.

The Arrow Collar Man became a phenomenon, inspiring popular songs and a Broadway musical, and changing how the clothing industry marketed itself. Hi Terry, fantastic post. Joseph Christian Leyendecker was born in Montabaur, Germany, in , and emigrated to Chicago with his family when he was eight years old. If you are not a premium subscriber, please subscribe for access to all of our content. The household entertained extravagantly, hosting high-profile A-list guests such as Walter Chrysler and Reggie Vanderbilt.