"Boy and Horse at the Water Pump, Post Cover" Lot no. 4676
By Leslie Thrasher (American- 1889-1936)
1913
24 5/8" x 17 1/2"
Oil on Canvas
Signed Lower Left
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Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, September 6, 1913
Explore related art collections: Saturday Evening Post Covers / Magazine Covers / Horses
See all original artwork by Leslie Thrasher
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Charles Leslie Thrasher was made famous by signing on for a long-term contract to paint every single weeks cover for Liberty Magazine. It was a back-breaking commitment to work at such a pace and an even greater challenge to come up with enough original cover ideas. The latter problem was partially solved by settling on a continuing story line, which followed a couple's courtship, marriage and children. It was a popular series, later made into a movie called "For the Love of Lil." His marriage provided the ingredients for it, and he served as his own model for the hero. As the presentation was humorous and light, the artwork tended to be lightweight, below the standards of his earlier cover work for The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, and his advertising illustrations Cream of Wheat, Fisk Tires and Spaulding.
Thrasher's career had an auspicious beginning. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and won a years scholarship to attend the Ecole de Grande Chaumiere in Paris. After his return in 1910, he studied briefly with Howard Pyle, and developed a close friendship with fellow-student Douglas Duer. They both served oversees during World War I, where they were assigned to camouflage with the Fortieth Engineers.
He resumed his illustration career after returning to the U.S, working for various magazines such as Redbook, Collier's, Popular Magazine, and Everybody's, prior to the Liberty contract.
Thrasher's career came to an early tragic end when his summer home burned and he developed pneumonia from smoke inhalation.