Our handsome key chain features J.C. Leyendecker’s Record Time, Cool Summer Comfort, ca. 1920, an illustration for men’s clothing manufacturer, B. Kuppenheimer. Leyendecker’s life partner, Charles Beach, was the model for both figures. The exclusive keychain commemorates the exhibition Under Cover: J.C. Leyendecker and American Masculinity, on view May 5, 2023 – August 13, 2023
Under Cover: J.C. Leyendecker and American Masculinity examines the work and influence of J.C. Leyendecker (1874–1951), a preeminent illustrator and commercial artist who helped shape American visual culture in the first three decades of the 20th century through captivating advertisements including the legendary “Arrow Collar Man” and countless covers for the Saturday Evening Post. As a queer artist whose illustrations for a mainstream audience often had unspoken queer undertones, his work is especially revealing for what it says about the cultural attitudes towards homosexuality of the period.
