"So it’s off to Grandma’s for Turkey Day—oh, boy!" Lot no. 4814
By John Ford Clymer (American- 1907-1989)
1955
33.5" x 26.25"
Oil on Board
Signed Lower Left
SOLD
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Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, November 26, 1955
John Clymer’s 1955 Thanksgiving cover for The Saturday Evening Post, titled “So it’s off to Grandma’s for Turkey Day - oh boy!,” depicts a quaint and charming rural scene of a family’s joyous arrival at their grandparents’ farm for the holiday.
Children spill from the car, racing toward their grandmother who greets them with open arms on the steps of a classic white farmhouse. The entire landscape is bathed in a warm, golden light, with sunbeams illuminating the vibrant autumn scenery, creating a heartfelt image of a holiday spent with family.
The Post described, “According to old pictures and mellow memories, part of this enchantment was bundling into a sleigh and dashing away behind jingling horses in a foot of snow; but nowadays it's a dashing motorcar, and something seems to have happened to the snow, all of which is not without charm either. If this remark brings an old-fashioned winter, Grandpa can plow out the lane with his charming tractor. Anyway, grandparents and grandyoungsters, corn shocks, barnyards and an exquisite aroma drifting from an old kitchen- these belong to each other this thankful time of the year, and the enchantment is forever new. Speaking of aroma, that's a symbolic turkey John Clymer painted; the real one is indoors aromaing.” (The Saturday Evening Post, November 26, 1955, page 3)
Explore related art collections: Saturday Evening Post Covers / Rural / $100,000 & Above / Landscape / 1950s / Family / Thanksgiving
See all original artwork by John Ford Clymer
ABOUT THE ARTIST
John Clymer was born in Ellensburg, Washington. His art education was acquired at the Vancouver School of Fine Art, the Ontario College of Art in Port Hope, Canada, as well as at the Wilmington Society of Fine Arts in Delaware, and the Grand Central School of Art in New York. With this background, his loyalties had ever since been divided between the United States and Canada.
Clymer's first illustrations were made for Canadian publications, followed by American Pulps, which lead to editorial assignments for most of the American magazines, numerous advertising campaigns, and an extensive series of the paintings of historic episodes for the United States Marine Corps during World War II.
His paintings have been exhibited widely in both countries as well, with the North West Artists in Seattle, the Ontario Society of Artists, the Royal Canadian Academy in Toronto, Canada (where he was an Associate member), the National Academy in New York, the Salmagundi Club, the Society of Animal Artists, and the Hudson Valley Artists. Clymer was an exhibiting member of the Cowboy Artists and the National Academy of Western Art, winning numerous awards. His biography John Clymer, An Artist's Rendevous with the Frontier West was published by Northland Pree in 1976. He was elected to the society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1982.