J C Leyendecker

The publishing boom of the early twentieth century led to an entirely new vocation, that of art direction for editorial publications and advertising. In 1921, the recently formed Art Directors Club resolved to show that their profession involved more than just signage for selling products. Their exhibition of paintings and drawings, intended to prove their work worthy of artistic consideration, was judged by a jury that featured some of the era's most distinguished names in illustration and art, including Ashcan School painter Robert Henri; Charles Dana Gibson, creator of the "Gibson Girl"; and outstanding New York artist Joseph Pennell, among others.