JC Leyendecker: The Iconic Gay Artist We ALMOST Forgot
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- During the first quarter of the 20th century, JC Leyendecker's illustrations defined American style and culture. But by the midcentury, almost no one remembered him. What happened? Come learn with me about JC Leyendecker and Charles Beach, his model and life partner.
Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:48 JC's early life and career
11:58 Charles Beach's early life
15:57 Charles Meets JC
20:00 The Leyendecker Mansion
24:54 Family Feuds
29:17 Frank's tragic death
34:23 JC and Charles quiet life until the end
41:37 Conclusion
43:01 Outro and credits
Buy my comic He Lives in the Echoes HERE: gumroad.com/l/vSfuJ
Follow me on Twitter: / kazrowe
I'm also on tiktok @kazrowe
Sources:
Illustration Magazine #50, David Saunders
J.C. Leyendecker, by Lawrence and Judy Cutler
J.C. Leyendecker, by Michael Shau
Outlaw Marriages: The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples, by Rodger Streitmatter
My Adventures as an Illustrator, by Norman Rockwell
Country Life Magazine, June 1919 Issue
“The Father of the New Year’s Baby”, Gary Kriss, New York Times, Dec 27, 1998
“Arrow Collar Man- He Lives in the Echoes”, Ed Wallace, New York World Telegram And Sun, August 25, 1951
Gay New York: gender, urban culture, and the makings of the gay male world, 1890-1940, by George Chauncey
Chicago Fine Arts Building website
Ellis Island Passenger record of the SS Freisland- April 16, 1890- Ellis Island Website
Joseph Christian Leyendecker’s US Citizen Naturalization papers- US Dept. of Records
United States WW2 Draft registration card- Charles Allwood Beach- US Dept. of Records
United States WW1 Draft registration card- Charles Allwood Beach- US Dept. of Records
“‘Arrow Collar Man’ is Fatally Stricken”, The Central Jersey Home News, June 24 1954
New York State Census, 1940
Ancestry.com pages for JC, Charles, Frank, and Augusta
Considerations on a Gentleman’s Posterior, Shaun Cole
Gay Blades: Homoerotic Content in J.C. Leyendecker’s Gillette Advertising Images, Richard Martin
Art Students League 6th Annual Exhibition Pamphlet, 1899- AIC Archives
The AIC Catalogue of the Eleventh Annual Exhibition of Watercolors, Pastels, and miniatures by American Artists, 1899, pamphlet- AIC Archives
First Exhibition of Works by Former Students and Instructors of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1918, Pamphlet- AIC Archives
‘The Spirit of Transportation’ Competition Pamphlet- AIC Archives
Art Students League 5th Annual Exhibition, Pamphlet, 1898- AIC Archives
Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago Before Stonewall, by St. Sukie de la Croix and John d’Emilio
FindaGrave.com, Charles Alwood Beach
Thanks to Tod Ruhstaller, CEO and Curator of History at the Haggin Museum
Coded Desire in 1920’s Advertising, David B Boyce
PVH Archives, Stories from the Archives: The Arrow Collar Man
American Fine Art Magazine Issue 21, May/June 2015
Thank you to @spinningrobo on Twitter for acquiring local New Rochelle articles!!!!!
“Leyendecker Remembered as Perfectionist”, Virginia Clair, New Rochelle Standard-Sun, July 26, 1951
Chicago Tribune, August 8, 1897, p28
Images:
Haggin Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
David Saunders
The Saturday Evening Post
Heritage Auctions
Country Life Magazine
House and Garden Magazine
Life Magazine
Illustration House, NY
The Illustrated Gallery, PA
New York World Telegram and Sun
The Chicago Tribune
A massive thank you to the people who helped me in my research: Tod Ruhstaller of the Haggin museum for his help via email and for letting me goof around in the Haggin archives looking at JC’s stuff
To the Mount Tom Day School and Erin Dutton for taking the time to take me on a tour of the Leyendecker mansion
To the New York and New Rochelle Public Library staff for assisting my research
@spinningrobo on Twitter for sending me Charles’ interview
Lance Ringel, playwright of ‘In Love With the Arrow Collar Man’
My patrons on patreon who helped fund my research trip
And my family members who supported my research
Hey folks, someone kindly brought up that I should have talked a bit about some issues in Leyendecker's paintings in this video. I didn't go into this because, since there are already so many artistic analyses of his artwork out there, I wanted to focus wholly on his biography (I also planned on talking about this in a future video I'm working on, but I'd like it noted here as well). But in hindsight I do feel I should have talked about this in the video. As with nearly every Golden Age illustrator, Leyendecker's work for the Saturday Evening Post (a pointedly conservative publication of the time) suffers from a racial standpoint. Back then, the Post had a rule stating that all black people in the illustrations could only be portrayed performing acts of service. In several of the Post covers there are also Native Americans portrayed in a stereotypical and offensive manner. It's completely abhorrent. A few scholars have said that Leyendecker disliked this rule and tried to get back at it by placing these figures as the focal point of the composition. I think we'll never know for sure what his feelings were, but placing them as the focal point doesn't change the harmful stereotypes these paintings still employed. If anything, the whole focal point thing may have backfired by instead emphasizing the issues. But regardless these paintings are a problem and can't be ignored when analyzing Leyendecker's body of work. Anyway, I regret not including this in the video and I appreciate that someone brought this up to me. I was mistaken in deciding a biography video doesn't also necessitate a conversation on what an artist's work says too. But, thanks for reading!!
Love these artist bio type of videos. Pls do more. Especially Walter Everette. i think he's kinda underrated even though his works are great.
tysm 4 this video, very interesting, I love the history of our comunity 🤗🤗
@Kaz Rowe
From your video, it sounds to me like Frank had ADHD. Starting but failing to finish projects, impulsive spending, substance abuse and lifelong problems with depression are all markers of ADHD. I can imagine how hard it must have been to be just as talented as his neurotypical brother, but somehow unable to complete and achieve things the way he did. Especially since mental and performative problems where so moralizes in the 20th century - Lazy, Selfish, immature... I'm sure he heard all of those
I feel like there is so much packed in here that it would have just muddied it. I also feel like you were pretty clear that the video is about his life, not his art. I really don't think it would have been truly relevant to this video and support your original decision
We can all agree that this is your first attempt to bring our beloved artist to our lives. The first attempt was great. Looking forward to the next one.
Kind of iconic that the only demonstrably straight kid was the family disappointment
I think you meant "ironic".
@@ThisGuy76 both work
I kinda of love it too honestly 🤣🤣🤣
I kinda feel bad that they didn’t bury him with the rest of his family though that’s harsh
@@RockstarKisses13 I mean yeah, I would feel bad If it was me, I think
29:47 the guy really said "all female born after 1993 can't cook... all they know is mcdonald's, charge they phone, twerk, be bisexual, eat hot chip and lie"
The ACCURACY
Holy fuck 😭☠️
LMAO tru
He also saw a shrink for his problems 😊
Lots of publications at the time decried the shallowness of the flapper and the disintegration of traditional femininity.
Now I see why Leyendecker's illustrated men were so good-looking. He definitely had a type.
This is a great biographical work!
it was literally his bf wasn't it
@@Alexis-nd9kw Joseph was not a homosexual, so no.
@@superkayou7199 have you watched the video
@@flowercities Yes. Is that all you've watched? There is not a single piece of evidence that Joseph was a homosexual. None. Every allusion to his sexuality is inferred by the author of the video, which is a disgraceful projection of his sexuality posthumously.
@@superkayou7199 What kind of evidence do you homophobes need to believe????? A sex tape or public making out pictures????
The love of J.C. and Charles Beach is clearly projected in their whole lifetime, their landlord's accounts, Frank's accounts, Augusta & Robert's accounts and even their neighbours' accounts.
Even heterosexual couples those days, never used to take pictures while making out or being naked together on beaches. Love of that era will never fit in your standards.
According to my grandfather, all the important cultural trendsetters, artists, philosophers, scientists, like Leonardo da Vinci and Sophocles were gay. I thought it might be appropriate to mention.
UwU
Many. Disproportionately so, but not all. Gays or men of the sexual avant garde are behind a lot of culture. That and children of the upper middle class or bourgeoisie. My favorite is Yukio Mishima.
@@pankakotakismegalomavropou3355 not to be reductive, but wasn’t Mishima a fascist who led a failed military coup and then had to ritualistically himself
everyone is gay, nobody would admit it
@@dcaouki not quite a fascist, he believed that the Emperor should have had their absoloute power restored while disolving the government. He stormed into a military base with his lover and after making a speech to troops that laughed him off committed ritual suicide, the act of seppuku in japan
this was fire, the extent of my previous research was wikipedia which basically says "mmmm he drew some guys and such, he had this bestest friend named charles who was his best friend for life and that is all we have to say on the matter" like ok thank you mrs.homosexual erasure
"Wikipedia is my enemy"
Sometimes I wonder if gay erasure is motivated by heterosexual people being jealous
anytime you see "best friend" in a wikipedia article, they were most likely lovers.
@@jpgextinction I think it's just lack of imagination mostly.
This! Literally just watch any other youtube video on him and no one talks ablut his sexuality
That scandalous tale about Adolf, oh my! Your narration and visual accompaniments were hilarious!
They were great. The Scooby -Slippers killed me with laughter
The pasta necklace got me first XD
The gazelle thing got me
I audibly guffawed at that part
Legit howled at those 😂
Common people usually don’t know who Leyendecker is, but if you ask an artist, illustrator or an art major, they probably will know. He’s a legend, nobody can ever draws like him.
"Common people?" Oh my.
Theres always a next one. Noone can ever draw exactly like someone else. But noone is forever unique. Someone out there, even right this very time, is probably drawing like him.
“Like a great ship with the bottom dropped out” ok time to cry...
Right? My god.
Yep, definitely teared-up at the end.
I really loved this video! Gay history is one of my favorite topics (for i too am gay history) so a 45 minute video about gay artists is exactly what i needed today
X2 😍
Same!
"i am too gay for history" iconic
We definitely need a biopic of him and his family. I'd never heard of him until watching your videos, and I'm glad you're keeping his story alive.
I completely agree! Love gay historical biopics! But I hadn't heard of him either.
That's what I thought too. Where's his film?
The British accent that comes and goes is... so Gatsby :O
.... Honestly as a gay artist myself (not just a musician) this is heart warming and tragic. I've always used my most serious lovers as my muses, even calling my first serious boyfriend my "young James Dean". I like to think that everyone probably knew about J.C and Charles but were endeared enough by their love to keep it a secret.... Maybe not... But it's happier to think of it that way.
Don't worry the art community has not forgotten this icon! We still worship him!
About the “memories going up in flames”, Racgel Carson was a prominent figure at my former university. People believe she was a lesbian. I looked more into it and found that she had her letters to her “best friends” burned. Its quite sad that queer people in history had to do that, i cant imagine how hard all of this would be
I feel sorry for Charles at the end. After almost 50 years with someone he loved and losing him, seems like he was just waiting to die. I knew of a relative who lived like that for many years before she finally passed.
i started crying at the end this is so good
Same and I can't quite pinpoint why I am still crying. I guess it just seems like such a lonely existence even though he had his lover.
Same. It's just the idea that this man and his true love deserved to be so much happier than society allowed them to be, and the life they never truly got to lead because of it. I'm so glad we were graced with his art. And as an artist myself, his pain at becoming irrelevant in a changing world, of technology removing the need for artists with every year that goes by, is something that's just as real today as it was yesterday and something I can truly relate to.
Oh, good... I thought for a moment that I had gotten soft
Same🤧
well I am glad I am not the only one
I'm a big fan of JC Leyendecker. I grew up in lower Westchester County and never knew he existed until about 2012. His art is amazing. His brother's art was so good too. So unfortunate that he couldn't clean up his act and have done more with his talent.
I currently live in a town very close to New Rochelle. I often drive by the Leyendecker mansion to pay tribute. When I looked online for photos of JC Leyendecker and of his New Rochelle home I was saddened that there didn't appear to be a lot. I'm glad you showed them. I wish his mansion and the grounds were made into a museum. At least the home still exists.
Discovering JC Leyendecker's art and his story was so magical for me. Your video on him and his brother is great!! I am so happy you made it and feel the same way about him, his work, and his place as a prominent artist. Thank you.
Thank you! Yes, when I took my tour I was so happy to see there was very minimal renovation/changes made to the mansion. Its original beauty is still there and the school cares a lot about the legacy of the home. I do wish there was a Leyendecker museum, but the Haggin Museum is probably as close as we'll get.
@@KazRowe Sorry for the delay in responding. I didn't know until now. I have been dealing with the craziness (like the world) of adapting to the major changes at work from COVID. After I originally saw your video on Leyendecker I thought; wow you got to go on a tour of his home, how extraordinarily mega cool!!! I had wished I had thought of asking. But knowing that it may be possible I felt so happy. Of course COVID was around so I put everything in the back of my mind. But inspired by your adventure I contacted the day school this past August and after about a month of waiting I was granted a tour. It was everything you said! I couldn't believe I was in the building and on the grounds; which were far more extensive then I had imagined. I soaked in evey sight and moment. Thank you so much! It was all because you shared your love of Leyendecker, art, and your videos!!! I love the Woodlawn Cemetery and have been there so many times. I had no idea Leyendecker was buried there with his family that ventured to NY. That will be my next trip. Btw, I rewatched your Leyendecker video after going to his home and it is so incredibly well done. I loved all the info and research you did for it. When I watched your F. Scott Fitzgerald video I loved something you mentioned that was a complete surprise to me, that Leyendecker & Beach may have been the inspiration for the two main characters in the Great Gatsby. After you mentioned it I thought omg it makes so much sense! Lol. I am a big fan. You are doing such a great job with you videos. Stay well, safe, and most of all happy!!!
@@audiovisual1943 that is amazing!! I'm so jealous that you got a tour!
Not sure if you're open to suggestions, but Erik Satie (the French pianist from the late 1800s) was a very quirky dude and might make for a fun video. I wrote an essay on his life for school and I had a lot of fun researching his oddball responses to critics and whatnot.
i'm an erik satie fan but have always focused on his music more than his biography. would love to read the essay you wrote!
Yes! That would be great
he was a shitposter avant la lettre, I love him
When you said that Charles destroyed some of JC’s work after his death I audibly screamed NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
im not mad about it, tbh. charles only did what jc asked him to. after all, we already have his paintings, which jc clearly wanted to share. is it a bummer that we'll never get to see those sketches? yeah, i'd say so. but i dont think anybody is entitled to the private work he did, especially not if he explicitly asked for it to never see the light of day.
I'd be so interested in a video detailing the parallels between Gatsby and Leyendecker. I had the long standing theory that there is homoerotic (sub)text in several places in Gatsby and the book drawing inspiration from a gay man just further helps with that theory.
It’s a shame that this is not turned into a movie, so fascinating
The fabled Leyendecker video!!!!! It's finally here!!!!!
This was a beautiful video - I loved the costume and location changes, and the editing was incredible as always.
My favourite bit has to be the Adolf scandal comic - finally the gamer chair/scooby slippers picture makes sense.... (also wow what good comic panels! as expected of the creator of super cool webcomic Cunning Fire)
I already knew how much you love JC, his work and his story, but it really did show in this video. Thank you for sharing your research (and this story!) with us.
Thank you so much!! haha yeah I had a lot of fun with the Adolph story :'D
I don't know if Kaz will see this comment but I HAVE to share....
So, I am a kiwi born and raises in NZ, but my maternal grandmother was American (I never met her as she died 5 days before I was born) but *her* mother (my maternal great-grandmother) was a professional artist and, once she had children, she went on to be an art teacher in Seattle.
I never met her either but our house is full of her art; I have an uncl who is an artist/works on peter jackson films, but no one else in my (large) family is remotely interested in art, so my great grandmother has always been interesting to me. She painted rather large oil portrait of her daughter (my grandmother) when she was about 14 (late 1940's), and it's always hung in my family's house. I've always been facinated with the way she painted the brushstrokes; they're very angular but defined, detailed but expressive at the same time.
Fast forward to when I started getting more into art as a young teenager, and I developed this very specific, defined style that--much to my teacher's chagrin, especially once I started winning prizes--I could never explain or show an artist model for... I think I knew it was something like my grandmother's portrait style, but it was *also* like this falling-apart old, hand-bound art book that had no title and was just page after page of colour plates.... plate of which I learned, as an adult, were all JC's works. Of course I had no way of google image searching this stuff as a 14 year old in New Zealand, back almost 15 years ago now (yikes, me gettin old!), and no one around me (like my art teachers) talked about commercial work (they were all classically trained european artists) so raised the flag as to who Lydecker was, but it clicked for me recently when I found that book again; one of the plates had come loose, and I realised that there was a black and white image under it that clearly been cut out of a book..... looking much closer at all the images, I realised a good half of them weren't colour plates at all: they were hand sketched, etched and watercolour copies my grandmother had made of his work when she studied at the Chicago Insitute of Art. She had clearly studied him and, once I saw it I couldn't un-see it. She was a portraitist, and everything from the textured background to the way she built up skin tones... it's all Leyendecker. It's different enough to be unique, of course, but I just geeked tf out because it was so clear, and her copies were so good I hadn't even noticed as a kid.
Katz, you are amazing!!! I thought that I was the only Leyendecker out there. I have beautiful prints of his work all over my house. No one who visits me has ever heard of him and does not understand my obsession with him. I have tried to research him with very little success. THEN you come out with a wonderful video.
You mentioned a thin paperback that may be purchased. How do I get a copy?
Thanks, Bob Watson
@@bobwatson1552 i don't think you meant to reply to me, sorry! But I agree with you, Kaz' art and videos are awesome!
I remember once seeing an image of Leyendecker’s paintings on Pinterest and I thought it was made by a digital artist, and it wasn’t till i watched this video that i learned otherwise lolol
I'm so fucking glad it watched this video. A couple of years ago, I found out JC was gay and when i tried to look up historical information about it, I couldn't find any. JC is probably one of my favorite artists and I want to say that your video made me cry a couple of times. I am so so happy thank you for this.
You are showing a poor upbringing by swearing in a public space.
I have an arrow tuxedo shirt and arrow collar poster from the mid-30’s, I never knew the story behind it!
Hollywood needs to make a movie about Leyendecker and Beach. Maybe a small cameo of Rockwell since they were friends. Also how did you get these photos of Charles Beach? I've looked through the internet years ago and nada. I've even wondered where he was buried because the book I read, J.C. Leyendecker by the Cutlers mentioned Beached died but not where he was buried. Kudos to you for finding this info. I was really sad that Beach was alone and drank himself to death and to kick it off no one mentioned where he was buried or who was there for his funeral.
his style was also one of my main inspirations of how I draw figures... he was a genius, one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.
Thank you for making this video!
I'm a queer artist and had no idea Leyendecker was gay. It's wonderful yet tragic to hear how he found love, yet could never live openly and confidently. How wonderful it would be if we lived in a world where all those letters and sketches remained so we might have some glimps into how their shared life looked like.
Wonderful work as always, Kaz!
"He saw what he saw!" 👀
*this is fine art and no one can convince me it isn't*
In my art school in Paris Leyendecker was studied for his accuracy in anatomy and posing and also for his stylized technique that is now used in modern videogame 3D art. Blizzard acknowledged that he is the main inspiration for the character design in overwatch. and as usual everyone is imitating that style therefore unconsciously imitating Leyendecker. So he is slowly coming back. Don't worry, a legend like this will get recognized at some point, they always do.
I'm absolutely struck by the tragedy of Charles Beach's life. Likely disowned in youth and widowed in old age. It must have been so horrible to return to loneliness in that way when J.C. died...
were it not for my state of being one of the accused "dehydrated clowns," i would have been openly weeping by the end of this... beautiful delivery, the passion i've witnessed you growing and nurturing for years really shines forth here! if my history of illustration professor was still with us, i believe she may well have flown across the continent to personally thank you for such amazing work (global pandemic be damned). honestly, if i had the means, i would do the same - for this, and for all the excellent things you gift to the world.
thank you!
I love Leyendecker’s work, but I didn’t know anything about his life. Great video, I really enjoyed it.
I thank you for this. I'm floored that Leyendecker isn't more celebrated. I first saw his work only this year, but it's so strikingly recognizable and beautiful that he instantly became an inspiration for me-i.e. I memorized his name. Thank you for fleshing out his story :)
Yes I remember searching about the "Golden Age of Illustration", and among many great works, his gripped me the most
I am so happy that you made this! I was 49 years old when I first learned of Leyendecker, but you went into more detail about his life than I'd discovered. It's so great to see a young person continuing to pass on our gay history. ♥️🏳️🌈♥️
I've heard Leyendecker's art was inspiration, or at least part of it, for Team Fortress 2 and have been kinda fascinated with him since
As an Australian who never encountered the Arrow Collar man, my first experience hearing his name was Herbert Hunke saying Kerouac resembled him
I managed to escape tears all the way until the very end, when you mentioned how he had a great fear of being forgotten.
I’m not sure why that got me, maybe because I’m also a queer artist and the idea of, not so much never achieving fame but more so all the things I love and care about being erased definitely saddens me.
Or maybe it’s just because it makes me happy to think that out of so many queer people in history with vibrant and often tragic lives steeped in shadow and secrecy, so often forgotten or misrepresented, just the fact that I know about him means his story won’t be completely lost. And that made me tear up.
As a current queer School of the art Institute Of Chicago student, hearing the close to home-ness of this particular history story warmed my heart. Thank you for sharing Kaz!!
These sorts of stories really give me hope that as a fellow queer person I might find happiness regardless of the worlds expectations of me. I'm still crying over this ending! JC has been a inspiration for me for years and I didn't know the full history of his end life. Thank you for this video!
I loved this video so much!!! I remember the first time I looked up leyendecker, before I knew he was a gay artist I had the strong feeling he was gay from his paintings. It was very interesting to hear such a direct story about how homosexuality was viewed in the 18/1900s. I look up to leyendecker a lot!
this needs to be made into a Netflix original series with the best costuming team seen yet.
Also, just wanted to add that you’re officially my new favorite channel. The way you tell stories is so interesting and heartfelt; I can tell you really, really love what you’re talking about. You’re gonna go far!!! :)
Only recently found your channel: came for the history but stayed for the emancipation and gay vibes. And the critical thinking, surely!
The images for the Adolf scandal were hilarious, and Charles’s words at the end had me cry. What a beautiful video. And the pinned comment is appreciated.
I didn't really know this story. I'm not American and I feel like this poor chap is even poorly known outside the US but I have seen his work before and I love it. Thank you for sharing his story and keeping the torch alive.
Thank you. I thought I knew all about the brothers but heard some new info here. I have never been fond of Rockwell but it seems he was very good to Frank. His art being more traditional he became more well known over JC. I have collected both brothers' art for years from magazines and I sell on ebay. It's much harder to find many of the best pieces at reasonable prices anymore. Very different than when I started collecting 20 years ago or so. I especially like Frank's work. Thank you for your passion!
How dare you make me cry over an early 20th century advertisement painter
I chose to research him for an art project and when I first looked at his illustrations I was like WOW okay- how do you draw men this hot?? I did some more digging and it turned out he was apart of the lgbtqa+! Im shocked that no one talks about him
I would love more biography type videos like this. I could really immerse myself in this and it's nice to know that in a world that hides queer figures from our eyes that people like you want to give life to them. As a gay man I've never known of any successful gay men in history and it makes me so sad. I have to buy the book you mentioned. Thank you for making these videos.
I am literally writing a screenplay about Joe right now. I bought Michael Schau’s book already! I really do think the machines are listening to me cause it randomly suggested this video after I decided to write this.
Hey how’s your screenplay coming together? This sounds like an amazing idea
@@Babyteef I am going slowly. I am struggling on the structure. If I just tell the events in chronological order it’s not really dramatic. I was thinking on focusing on the two brothers and their relationship slowly falling apart while their sister tries to hold the family together. But what point of their life to I focus on is kind of where I’m struggling.
@@StephanDavis02 oh that's a shame, but the idea still sounds really good imo, of course you'd never be able to fit every single event into a screenplay but hopefully you can figure out how to put every piece into place
@@StephanDavis02 I hope you stick with this project, it sounds great! I'd love a mini series like that.
Bravo! Excellently done! I got a BFA in 1978, started working for a large advertisting agency that summer. They had huge clip art files for art refence and I discovered J. C. work as covers and ads of his from magazines were in thise folders! Of all of the other artists of the 20s-40s besides Norman Rockwell, JCL was the one who’s style I never forgot!
I used this video for a school project a couple months ago, and I got an 100! I showed my teacher this video (She wanted to see where I got most of my information) and she was amazed by your talent! Keep up the good work :)
I recently read the great Gatsby for the first time and immediately thought of Gatsby when you mentioned the parties. this was excellently done and warmed my heart 💕 the part about his home becoming a school made me tear up a little
oooh boy I didn't expect the last part with Charles interview to straight up make me sob... god this video was honestly wonderful and Kaz your seriously a wonderful storyteller and your one of the most handsome and beautiful people I've ever seen, keep it up and rock on.
I learned about Leyendecker from my classical teacher back in the early 1980's. I'm happy that his work is being celebrated now, an rise that's especially due to his discovery by the gay community.
wow the black sheep was the one straight sibling
Damn that was emotional. Thank you for sharing J C. with us. My jaw kept dropping at how incredible his work is. All I ever knew about was Rockwell, and would have assumed those pieces were Norman's. This is probably my favorite episode because you gave him a place in our minds and hearts. Now if you'll excuse me (sob)
"Can't have a gay man defining American culture, can you? The big secret is they always have." Well-said!
I've always been interested in the work of Norman Rockwell, and through him I began to look into J.C. Leyendecker's as well. Never knew his life was this interesting! Thank you for all the wonderful research and work that you've done into ensuring J.C. (and Charles)'s legacy remains known. You just gained another subscriber.
Great video!
His Santas inspired the Coke a
Cola Santa! And has never been given the credit.
Your bio would make a great TV series! Going through the eras and changes in fashions would be awesome! Thank you! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I've seen J. C. Leyendecker's advertisement illustrations for a long time and knew they had to all be from the same person. But I didn't learn of his name until a few years ago. The confident way he uses shapes and color contrasts is amazing. Thank you so much for this comprehensive and thoughtful biography.
I know this is an old video but I LOVE Leyendecker’s work! Some of his paintings are on display in a museum in my hometown.
JC Leyendecker is one of my favorite artists, one of my inspirations for markmaking and composition. Even so, I didn't expect to get emotional as I watched this video. Sure, he's a great artist and he's queer, which is incredibly important to me as a queer artist. But knowing who he was is different from simply analyzing his work, and I'm so happy to have been able to see this. Thank you for this!
This reminded me that growing up my grandmother had a few copies of Leyendecker's work and how I was always so captivated by how much movement it had (specifically his illustrations of children which was most of what she had) and how warm it felt. Thanks for helping to bring this memory back and help me appreciate the man who made them!
As a tailor the work of leyndecker has always been a great source of insperation for me. Thanks fr sharing his story!
Fascinating bio - really personalizes the artist! I saw a Leyendecker exhibit at Fullerton Museum Center (CA) a few years back, truly spectacular. I knew he and Rockwell knew each other, but now realize they were closer than many reports. Incredible research, and well presented THANK YOU @kazrowe you are a great historian! 😍🌈💯
Having just seen "Under Cover: J.C. Leyendecker and American Masculinity" at the New-York Historical Society, I stumbled across this quirky, highly-informative video by Kaz Rowe. What a find -- kudos to Kaz!
I found your video by accident but have always loved Leyendecker's art, and wrote about him in my dissertation years ago. You've done your research! and explain more than I ever knew. It's striking, isn't it, that so few photos of Beach exist. I guess we're to assume we see him in Leyendecker's work--and that has to be true--but it'd be great if some photos survived to show us indeed how striking a figure he was. It's an incredible thing to contrast all the great parties they threw along with their reclusivity. Talk about a house of divergent psychologies!--as you make clear indeed. Thanks for this video.
I'm from the Collar City and it's awesome to learn more about the artist behind the Arrow ads. Little bits of hidden history right under my feet, thank you so much for everything you do.
The music over JC and Charles' quiet life until the end is making me cry
Wow, why isn’t this a movie? I’d even take a Ryan Murphy version. For all his faults, he does know how to cast to a strong jawline.
Geez, this was one of the most beautiful biographical tributes to a much loved/admired artist of mine. The news of the gay mistreatments of the times and their ripple effect saddens me.
I am glad he & his lover, Charles Beach found each other & led loving devoted lives.
Never knew his sad family backstory & history & am grateful for your research. Never knew his brother painted close work. Wish everyone had a more harmonis lifetime.
I, for one, will never forget his body of exquisite work. It is easily reconizable & love does show through all his work.
Great work you did here. Keep up the Good Work. It sure is appreciated. ❤
Though not perfect by any extent it is still nice to see a story of a historical gay couple who managed to live their lives together until an old age and natural causes. It's so painfully rare and that part is heartwarming.
It amazes me how many of the illustrators of the 1900s-30s failed to understand and adapt to the field that would have been their salvation if only they had realized it: comic books.
These people would have made awesome comic book artists, if only they had foreseen the existence of the field and gone through the relatively mild training necessary to complete the transition from stand-alone images to panels.
In a very real sense, the illustrators of the magazine covers of those days allowed themselves to dry up and die out due to sheer lack of imagination. Whether they understood it or not, they faded away because they were ready to fade away- not because they had to.
everything's obvious with hindsight
@@flazay_da True enough, but comics existed in the 1920s, really took off in the 1930s, and were huge in the 1940s. Leyendecker died in 1951. He really did have plenty of time to make the switch and become huge in the field, had he the wherewithall to do so.
And that is just him. Other magazine cover artists must have lived long enough. Normal Rockwell certainly did.
Thanks for this I’m using this for my college presentation on him
That is literally brilliant! JC is one of my favorite artists and I always wanted to know more about his biography. But sadly, there is very little information about him, so I’m grateful to you for making this wonderful research and video!
Thank you so much for your amazing video and all of your research! Charles Allwood BEACH was my 2nd cousin 3x removed. What a life!
Thank you so much for this detailed biography of J.C. You were so thorough, as you carried several narratives at once, in parallel, explaining Family interactions and external pressures on J.C and Frank. What an engrossing, revealing and empathetic presentation of the humanity of this skilled and unique artist. Definitely up there with N.C. Wyeth, Maxfied Parish, Howard Pyle, Norman Rockwell and Frank Schoonover. Thank you for this gift, it was indeed a pleasure.
In May 2023 in a NYC museum exhibit JC Leyendecker’s work was shown and well attended. In the 80’s I was in recall purchasing a Knopf hard bound edition of JC’s work. A magnificent five color edition. It is out of print now, and after a large party I discovered it was gone from my library. The book made a huge impression on me. Not only his art, but the book addressed his relationship with his model, Charles.. Your video was extremely informative. I
was unaware of his brother Frank, and your research has provided an important context that is relevant in in so many ways. They truly lived & experienced for almost half century “The love that dared not speak its name”.
Thank you so much for this video. I’m a fan of Leyendecker’s work but had no information about his life. Learning that he was gay made me like his work even more, and it’s something I can definitely relate to.
Oh my god, the gaming chair and the Scooby Doo slippers, I CANNOT! 🤣💀
i love this so much! ive wanted to look into leyendeckers biography a little more closely for a while now for gay reasons but never got around to it so i’m really glad i found this video (and your channel in general) :)
I researched Leyendecker for a history project on American art in the early 20th century and fell in love with his story and his art. I've admired him ever since and he's someone in history I wish I knew
This is truly brilliant, you've done a great justice to these artists and their families. I'm so glad I found this channel. 🌈💜
His art is so pretty
dang, this was incredible!! i feel honored to have watched something brimming with this much passion. thanks for sharing
THIS VIDEO WAS SO BEAUTIFUL I SOBBED AT THE END
It’s such a wonderful video about and amazing artist. I wanted to know a little bit more about the guy before studying his work because I’ve always loved it, now I’m more motivated than ever to tribute him to the best of my abilities and never forget him. Keep being awesome
Love this guy's art. Loved the bio on Netflix. And I love this vid. Thanks kaz.
Omg you deserve WAY more followers and views on this video. Leyendecker is suchhh a huge inspiration to me and others of course. Thank you for this!!!
Brava! this was amazing. I saw a little documentary "Coded" on Amazon. it pails in comparison to this master class. I have the feeling when Charles burned JC's work, he burned all pictures of himself. It's a shame there's no picture of him in his glory. Once again, thank you
Leyendecker is one of my greatest loves, as a person obsessed with vintage tailoring, and a queer with a thing for dandies, I've been obsessed with Leyendecker's work for a long time, particularly his ads for Kuppenheimer. This was a fantastic video as always, Kaz. Thank you for this incredible, well researched and in depth video.
22:54 I once looked at a series of graduating class photos from a school that went back a ways. I noticed that nobody smiled in them until some time in the 1920's. My guess is that it was considered undignified to smile in portraits before the Roaring Twenties.
Wow! I’m so happy I came across your video! I’m down a rabbit hole of vintage homoerotic art and photography. Thank you for all of your efforts into this bio! Now the original arrows ads I have added to my collection are even more valuable that that I have the backstory.
THE VIDEO I DIDNT REALIZE I NEEDED I LOVE LEYENDECKER'S ART SO MUCH
This was an excellently researched and put-together video. I teared up when you showed how the studio at the mansion looks now; the thought of those kids' art being painted and hung up in that studio where J.C. painted too is just so... Seeing as he loved kids so much, I bet he'd love to see that too!
I have requested many video essayists to cover Leyendecker only to have most of them wonder who I was talking about
Thank you
I need to visit the mural at the Fine Arts building. Last time I was there it was closed. I took a picture outside and couldn't help but tear up. Leyendecker became my idol in college.
One of my favorite illustrators. Gorgeous artwork.