J.C. Leyendecker virtually invented the visual aesthetic of modern advertising during the Golden Age of American Illustration. Moving from Germany to Chicago as a child, he trained at the Académie Julian in Paris. His technical signature relied on a distinctive oil-and-turpentine medium, producing razor-sharp geometric brushstrokes that radiated sleek luxury.

His commercial art dictated the fashion ideals of a generation. Prolific and highly influential, Leyendecker painted 322 landmark covers for The Saturday Evening Post — popularizing mass cultural symbols such as the New Year’s Baby and the modern look of Santa Claus.

His stylized draftsmanship strongly influenced his protégé, Norman Rockwell. Today, Leyendecker is celebrated as a trailblazing queer artist who permanently shaped twentieth-century pop culture and consumer design.