| This weeks #coloricombo features a watercolour sketch of The Arrow Collar Man, an iconic image by J.C. Leyendecker, the highly influential American illustrator and commercial artist.
Leyendecker (1874-1961) was born in Germany and emigrated as a child to America, settling in Chicago. He apprenticed at a printing and engraving company and studied at the Chicago Art Institute. He then travelled to France with his brother and fellow illustrator, Frank, before they opened their own studio in Chicago. There followed a long association with the Saturday Evening Post and between 1895 and 1950 he illustrated over 400 covers.
In 1905, he was commissioned by the Cluett, Peabody & Co. shirt company to create an advertising campaign for their detachable collars. In the resulting campaign Leyendecker's illustration of a confident, well-dressed man became synonymous with the Arrow brand and played a significant role in popularising their products: in the 1920s, Arrow was turning over $20m on sales of a fifteen cent product.
Loved by women and admired by men, The Arrow Collar Man was a composite of a number of males models including Leyendecker's partner, Charles Beach. Often depicted in elegant attire and exuding an air of sophistication, The Arrow Collar Man quickly became an iconic symbol of style and masculinity in American advertising.
You can read more about Leydendecker here and here and there''s a YouTube biography here. |
