Drake Caryn - Christmas Traditions with the Saturday Evening Post

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The Saturday Evening Post, Country Gentleman used under license from The Saturday Evening Post Society, Inc., Indianapolis, IN. SEPS. All Rights Reserved. The SD logo is a trademark and of SD Entertainment, Inc. 2012. All Rights Reserved.

Text collected by Curtis Publishing from the archives of the Saturday Evening Post

Illustrations by Amos Sewell, Ben Kimberly Prins, Emery Clarke, George Brehm, George Hughes, Haddon Sundblom, Henry Hintermeister, John Atherton, J.C. Leyendecker, John Falter, Kraske, Miriam Tana Hoban, Norman Rockwell, Richard Dick Sargent, Sarah Stilwell-Weber, Stevan Dohanos, Walter Baum, WM. Meade Prince

Edited By Caryn Drake

Copyright 2013 by Patti Davis

ISBN 978-1-4976-6766-2

Distributed in 2014 by Open Road Distribution

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com

Table of Contents

1. by Walter Baum

2. by John Atherton

3. by Sarah Stilwell-Weber

4. by Amos Sewell

5. by Stevan Dohanos

6. by Stevan Dohanos

7. by George Hughes

8. by Stevan Dohanos

9. by George Hughes

10. by Joseph Christian Leyendecker

11. by J.C. Leyendecker

12. by Norman Rockwell

13. by John Falter

14. by George Hughes

15. by J.C. Lyendecker

16. by Stevan Dohanos

17. by Richard Dick Sargent

18. by George Brehm

19. by Norman Rockwell

20. by Richard Sargent

21. by Emery Clarke

22. by J.C. Leyendecker

23. by Stevan Dohanos

24. by Miriam Tana Hoban

25. by J.C. Leyendecker

26. by Henry Hintermeister

27. by George Hughes

28. by WM. Meade Prince

29. by Kraske

30. by J.C. Leyndecker

31. by J.C. Leyendecker

32. by Mead Schaeffer

33. by J.C. Leyendecker

34. by Henry Hintermeister

35. by J.C. Leyendecker

36. by J.C. Leyendecker

37. by Haddon Sundblom

38. by John Falter

39. by J.C. Leyendecker

40. by Ben Kimberly Prins

41. by J.C. Leyendecker

Introduction: A Brief History

Founded in 1728 by none other than Ben Franklin, The Saturday Evening Post grew to be the largest weekly publication in America for most of the 20th century. Over a 70-year span The Post commissioned some of the worlds greatest illustrative talent to enrich its magazine. Legends such as J.C. Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth and hundreds of others created over 4,000 cover and story illustrations which now comprise this refreshingly diverse, one-of-a-kind archive.

The Saturday Evening Post was the pinnacle venue for aspiring young artists to be seen and interpreted; from Norman Rockwell depicting simple everyday life in a humorous manner; to Rockwells mentor, J.C. Leyendecker for his New Years babies; Sarah Stilwell-Weber and Ellen Pyles enchanting little girls; to John LaGatta for his sophisticated, romantic, vibrant style. Whichever illustrator was your personal favorite; the covers of The Saturday Evening Post captured the heart and soul of America and remains a treasure chest of history in the making.

We are delighted to share some of the most beloved art from the covers of the Saturday Evening Post and the Country Gentleman. We hope you enjoy these Christmas traditions and create some of your own.

February 1, 1931

Sleigh on Snowy Village Street

Walter Baum

Born on December 14, 1884 in the small village of Sellersville, approximately fifty miles north of Philadelphia, Baum grew up without electricity or automobiles. As industrial advances altered the appearance and economy of his region, Walter Baum worked to secure and strengthen its cultural identity.

Baum's first cover appeared on January 1931's Country Gentleman, a popular monthly agriculture magazine produced by Curtis Publishing. Baum adapted his standard horizontal compositions with ease to the vertical format required for the magazine. Almost all the large vertical paintings by Baum are from the thirties and were probably conceived as covers for Country Gentleman.

Through exhibition openings at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Baum met N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell, whose illustrations enlivened the covers of the Saturday Evening Post for years. While their covers told a whole story in a single scene, Baum's covers were reproductions of his landscapes.

December 18, 1943

Christmas Ornaments

John Atherton

Born on December 14, 1884 in the small village of Sellersville, approximately fifty miles north of Philadelphia, Baum grew up without electricity or automobiles. As industrial advances altered the appearance and economy of his region, Walter Baum worked to secure and strengthen its cultural identity.

Baum's first cover appeared on January 1931's Country Gentleman, a popular monthly agriculture magazine produced by Curtis Publishing. Baum adapted his standard horizontal compositions with ease to the vertical format required for the magazine. Almost all the large vertical paintings by Baum are from the thirties and were probably conceived as covers for Country Gentleman.

Through exhibition openings at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Baum met N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell, whose illustrations enlivened the covers of the Saturday Evening Post for years. While their covers told a whole story in a single scene, Baum's covers were reproductions of his landscapes.

February 10, 1917

Building Snowmen

Sarah Stilwell-Weber

Sarah S. Stilwell was born in Concordville, Pennsylvania in 1878. In 1897, Sarah became an art student at the acclaimed Drexel Institute in Philadelphia where she was under the instruction of another illustrative great, Mr. Howard Pyle.

Sarah did the majority of her cover art for The Saturday Evening Post from 1904 through 1921. Not one to work well under pressure, she resisted the offer by George Horace Lorimer to do regularly scheduled pieces. She preferred having the freedom to work at her own pace and submit items at her leisure, feeling that a deadline might compromise her need to work until she felt personally satisfied with the result. Sarah Stilwell-Webers illustrations graced sixty covers of