"Self-Portrait, Kuppenheimer Stylebook Illustration" Lot no. 4857
By Joseph Christian Leyendecker (1874-1951)
1913
40" x 30", Framed 48" x 38"
Oil on Canvas
Unsigned
REQUEST PRICE
PURCHASE REQUEST
Click any of the images above for additional views.
Original interior illustration for the Kuppenheimer Clothing 1913-1914 Fall / Winter stylebook
This masterwork is the only known self-portrait by J.C. Leyendecker executed in oil. Positioned at the center of the composition, Leyendecker is seated at his drafting table between two stylish gentlemen. True to his rule of never working from photographs, Leyendecker captures himself sketching directly from live models.
Leyendecker looks to his right, toward a model in a houndstooth suit who faces him. On the artist’s other side, an elegant figure in a dark, pinstriped three-piece suit, complete with a cane and a carnation in his lapel, looks across the scene, his face visible in profile. This dapper man is Charles Beach, Leyendecker’s favorite model and lifelong partner. Though difficult to definitively confirm, the physical similarities suggest that Beach may have served as the model for both figures.
Commissioned as an interior illustration for the Kuppenheimer Clothing 1913-1914 Fall / Winter stylebook, the painting advertises “The Wayne,” a contemporary suit characterized by a high waistline, natural shoulders, and sleeves finished with narrow cuffs. Leyendecker’s technical virtuosity is evident in the meticulous rendering of the garments. He captures the intricate weave of the fine houndstooth textile, the subtle pinstripes of the dark wool, and the razor-sharp creases of the tailored trousers. Even the polished leather footwear gleams in the light.
While the models are perfectly posed in their finery, Leyendecker paints himself at work in simpler, yet no less stylish, attire. Though well-dressed in a white collared shirt, red tie, and beige trousers, his rolled sleeves and slightly wrinkled shirt convey the movement and energy of a man at work. The entire scene is set against a white background, applied with Leyendecker’s hallmark cross-hatching technique.
Ultimately, the artwork transcends its original commercial purpose to carry a rare personal statement. By portraying himself alongside Charles Beach for one of his most prominent clients, Leyendecker forever linked his professional identity to the iconic Kuppenheimer brand he helped popularize, while quietly immortalizing his connection to his muse and lifelong partner.
Explore related art collections: Fashion / $100,000 & Above / 1910s / Men / Art / Artists / Portraits / Advertisements
See all original artwork by Joseph Christian Leyendecker
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Joseph Christian Leyendecker was born in Montabaur, Germany, and came to America at the age of eight. Showing an early interest in painting, he got his first job at 16 in a Chicago engraving house on the strength of some larger pictures he had painted on kitchen oilcloth. In the evenings after work, he studied under Vanderpoel at the Chicago Art Institute, and saved for five years to be able to go to France and attend the Academie Julian in Paris.
Upon his return, as a thoroughly trained artist with immense technical facility, Leyendecker had no difficulty in obtaining top commissions for advertising illustrations and cover designs for the leading publications. His first Post cover was done in 1899, and he did well over 300 more during the next 40 years. Among the most famous of these was his annual New Years Baby series.
His advertising illustrations made his clients famous. The Arrow Collar Man was a byword for the debonair, handsome male, and women wrote thousands of love letters to him in care of Cluett Peabody & Company. His illustrations for Kuppenheimer Clothes were equally successful in promoting an image of suited elegance. He was elected to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1977.A major retrospective exhibition of Leyendecker's work was mounted at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1997-98.
Joseph Christian Leyendecker was born in Montabaur, Germany, and came to America at the age of eight. Showing an early interest in painting, he got his first job at 16 in a Chicago engraving house on the strength of some larger pictures he had painted on kitchen oilcloth. In the evenings after work, he studied under Vanderpoel at the Chicago Art Institute, and saved for five years to be able to go to France and attend the Academie Julian in Paris.
Upon his return, as a thoroughly trained artist with immense technical facility, Leyendecker had no difficulty in obtaining top commissions for advertising illustrations and cover designs for the leading publications. His first Post cover was done in 1899, and he did well over 300 more during the next 40 years. Among the most famous of these was his annual New Years Baby series.
His advertising illustrations made his clients famous. The Arrow Collar Man was a byword for the debonair, handsome male, and women wrote thousands of love letters to him in care of Cluett Peabody & Company. His illustrations for Kuppenheimer Clothes were equally successful in promoting an image of suited elegance. He was elected to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1977.A major retrospective exhibition of Leyendecker's work was mounted at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1997-98.
Kent Steine