J. C. Leyendecker

Joseph Christian Leyendecker was a 20th century freelance commercial artist. His art and painting style are frequently subject to pastiche in fanart.
== Influence on Source Text ==
=== The Great Gatsby ===
Advertisements feature heavily in The Great Gatsby, most infamously in the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg, but also in chapter 7, when Daisy tells Gatsby that he looks just like "the advertisement of the man" to express her attraction to him. 
A 2009 paper by Thomas Dilworth argues that this "advertisement of the man" is in reference to the Arrow Collar Man. To make this point, he cites Daisy's phrasing of the ad as advertising a man rather than a product, Fitzgerald referencing the ads in previous works, peers of Fitzgerald's describing the Arrow Collar ads similarly, and thematic resonance with the Arrow Collar Man representing the American Dream that The Great Gatsby seeks to hollow out. DILWORTH, THOMAS. “‘The Great Gatsby’ and the Arrow Collar Man.” The F. Scott Fitzgerald Review, vol. 7, 2009, pp. 80–93. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/41583011. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
Some have drawn connections between Leyendecker's sexuality and queer readings of Nick Carraway, but Fitzgerald's awareness of the former is unclear.
=== Interview with the Vampire (TV series) ===
In an interview, costume designer Carol Cushing describes Louis and Lestat's suiting in the first season as "a love letter to Leyendecker," discussing the Arrow Collar Man's status as a male standard of beauty at the time, as well as being moved by Leyendecker falling in love with the model behind the Arrow Collar Man.https://www.amc.com/blogs/interview-with-the-vampire-q-and-a-costume-designer-carol-cutshall-on-suiting-and-silhouettes-in-storyville--1060598 Fans have noticed many references in Lestat's wardrobe, particularly his gold robe being pulled from a 1916 advertisement.https://www.tumblr.com/inkyswampbones/730984246649454592/the-costume-designer-carol-cutshall-talks-in
=== Team Fortress 2 ===
The artstyle of Team Fortress 2 was heavily inspired by Leyendecker"a cartoon-like visual style based on the art of Dean Cornwell, J. C Leyendecker, and Norman Rockwell," from the on the Official Team Fortress Wiki, circa. 2024. His art is regarded highly by many fanartists in the fandom and pastiches of his works are common.
== Fan Comments ==
One nonny on Fail-FandomAnon suggested Leyendecker's popularity on Dark Academia Tumblr as a source for his popularity in fandom:
Some of Leyendecker's Saturday Evening Post covers depict mammy caricatures of Black women. Though some Black fans enjoy his other illustrations of Black people and how he renders darker skin generally,https://x.com/ajthedonut/status/1853198245876605242, Archived the same fans are bewildered by other fans' lack of awareness of common antiblack caricatures and, knowing he can portray Black people accurately and compassionately, how many of his works do not.
==Examples of Fanart Pastiche==
===A State of Mind (1905)===
This piece depicts a woman in a dragon costume and a man holding her hand. A 2021 Tumblr post connects it to Robert W. Chambers's The Adventures of a Modest Man.https://www.tumblr.com/mewbusi/676278173715103744/ok-so-after-taking-a-look-into-this-i-was-able 
Use may correlate to characters with monstrous interests (as in Pacific Rim pastiches) or supernatural trueforms (as in Good Omens pastiches).
Good Omens
* by garmrheim (Ineffable Husbands)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
* by mothcraft (Diego/Hot Pants)
Pacific Rim
* by rickannigan (Hermann/Newt)
* by newtfvcker (Hermann/Newt)
Westworld
* by star-spangled-bastard (Charlotte/The Man In Black)
===Boy Graduate (1920)===
Sometimes also called The Graduate or June Graduate, this illustration was a magazine cover for The Saturday Morning Post, celebrating that year's graduating college students.https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/sep-keyword/j-c-leyendecker-cover/ This piece is often comically compared to Norman Rockwell's 1959 cover for the same magazine.https://x.com/saj_who/status/1355595574347751424, Archivedhttps://x.com/shoomlah/status/1355795420216090627, Archived
Baldur's Gate III
* by mimi-maru (Gale)
Dishonored 
* by st4rdust-machiine (Piero Joplin and Kirin Jindosh) comparing the Leyendecker and Rockwell versions.
Hazbin Hotel
* by agent-gei (Charlie Morningstar)
Kingdom Hearts
* by cadaverie (Luxord)
Knives Out
* by maalidoesart (Benoit Blanc)
Lord of the Rings
* by rinthecap (Manwë Súlimo)
The Magnus Archives 
* by wishgrub (Elias Bouchard)
Octopath Traveler
* by papayasprout (Cyrus Albright)
The Raven Cycle
* by juiceboxjimmy (Adam Parrish)
The Sandman
* by coralchimaera (Lucienne)
===The Butterfly Couple (1923)===
See also: Magnet, another butterfly-themed couples redraw trend.
Baldur's Gate III
* by _mimimaru (Isobel/Aylin)
* by magsthemagpie (Isobel/Aylin) for Love By The River
* by moodsworks for nobodys-baby-now (Tav/Astarion)
Bayonetta 
* by ghost-of-dragoon (Bayonetta/Jeanne)
Boku no Hero Academia
* by cheese-doorstop48 (Todoroki/Deku)
Borderlands 
* by scootsaboot (Timothy/Rhys), inspired by the fic by wheatandchaff
Children of the Whales
* by eden-falls (Ouni/Suou)
DC
* by gumsneaker (Two Face/The Riddler)
Doctor Who/Torchwood
* by oscarthegrouch24 (Jack/Ianto)
*wish u were here by twojamie-o-clock (Doctor/Jamie)
Dragon Age
* by persephoneggsy (Sebastian/Hawke)
Final Fantasy 
* by starfallsoup (selfship with Haurchefant Greystone)
* by radioinactivity (Zenoswol)
Genshin Impact
* by drumandlute (Cyno/Tighnari)
Golden Kamuy
* by nanikatabetai (Ogata/Yuusaku)
* by stygmatus (Sugimoto/Vasily)
Glee
*tina and quinn as j.c. leyendecker’s “study for butterfly couple” by porcelainvino (Tina/Quinn)
Good Omens
*at the edge of the world by surinnit (Ineffable Husbands)
*Aziraphale and Crowley as The Butterfly Couple by bi-biscuit (Ineffable Husbands)
Hannibal
*girl help the cannibals are kissing again by fangbangrr (Will/Hannibal)
Heaven Official's Blessing
*Hualian as "The Butterfly Couple" by Leyendecker by kamagaem (Hualian)
Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart
* "monsters in love." 🕰🥀 by cursed-iris (Jack/Acacia)
The Magnus Archives
*Since everybody is doing leyendecker’s stuff I joined the fun and drew this by tanis-drawings-2point0 (Jon/Sasha)
Miraculous Ladybug
*Finally got around to finishing a version of this drawing after like 4 years! by egglygreg (Ladynoir)
*I will never get tired of drawing them; by fedyjkn (Gabriel/Nathalie)
Pathologic
*butterfly couple by dt75artblog (Alexander/Katerina)
Precure
*here’s the akiyuka print i designed for @precure20f by adriabun (Akiyuka), for Habatake!: A Pretty Cure 20th Anniversary Zine
The Sandman
*inspired by "The Butterfly Couple" J.C. Leyendecker by fishfingersandscarves (Lucienne/Gault)
Supernatural
* based on leyendecker’s butterfly couple by lesbiandeancas (Dean/Castiel)
*Inspired by Leyendecker’s “Butterfly Couple” by artlyloser (Dean/Castiel)
This Is How You Lose The Time War
*My designs of Red and Blue by strawberri-draws (Red/Blue)
===Couple Descending a Staircase (1932)===
Critical Role
*I’ve been thinking about Laerryn and Loquatius a normal amount by glorfy-the-bright-haired-ellon (Laerryn/Loquatius)
Diabolik
*Eva and Diabolik version ❤️🗡️ by linaxart (Eva/Diabolik)
Dimension 20
*show me how to make it real by cloudmancy (ACOFAF, Rue/Wuvvy)
Fortnite
*based on Couple Descending a Staircase by vitikko1 (Valeria/Montague)
Good Omens
*a good omens wip i’m never gonna get around to finishing by singersalvageart (Ineffable Husbands)
*A redrew a painting by J. C. Leyendecker as Aziraphale and Crowley. Why? Because it fucks. by vivi-ships (Ineffable Husbands)
Historical RPF
*Happy birthday to The Asshole ™✨ by fritz-on-a-blitz (Frederick the Great/Hans Hermann von Katte)
The Legend of Zelda
*Leyendecker style study featuring Zelda and Link by julnites (Link/Zelda)
Lore Olympus
*I read the entire webcomic in four days while I was sick, worth it by littlebeesart (Hades/Persephone)
Marvel
*Buckynat Art Parody Series No. 1 by yawpyawp (Bucky/Natasha)
*Lokius as “Couple Descending a Staircase” by JC Leyendecker. by khoned (Loki/Mobius)
The Old Guard
*Joseph & Nicholas by linaxart (Joe/Nicky)
The Raven Cycle
*leyendecker jordeclan. leyenjordecker. by deklo (Jordan/Declan)
Shaperaverse
*raven & lloyd in l.c. leyendecker's "couple descending a staircase". why not! by jasviart (Raven/Lloyd)
Six of Crows
*Leyendecker study but make it Kanej! by basicbard (Kaz/Inej)
Stranger Things
*Vampire Stobin (with a capital P) 🦇🩸 by sentient-trash (platonic Steve & Robin)
===Couple in Boat (1922) ===
This painting was a 1922 Arrow Collar ad.https://peoplehiddeninhistory.com/j-c-leyendecker-iconic-illustrator-of-the-early-20th-century/ Pastiche illustrations of this piece may focus on one or both figures pictured.
Baldur's Gate III
*My Little Star ⭐️ by illustrative-robot (Astarion)
Critical Role
*Happy Valentine’s Day 😘 ~ by fwishbone (Beau/Jester)
Lord of the Rings
*Orodreth helped me with this Leyendecker style study :) by elyksina (Orodreth)
The X-Files
* Leyendecker study with Mulder and Scully ✨ by scarymonsters-andsupercreeps (Mulder/Scully)
===The Courtship (1905)===
This painting was the December 1905 cover of Success Magazine.https://www.illustratedgallery.com/artwork/original/687/by-joseph-christian-leyendecker/
Critical Role
*oh you, my electric blue! by fwishbone (Beau/Jester)
Glee
*kitty and tina as j.c. leyendecker’s “the courtship” by porcelainvino (Tina/Kitty)
Good Omens
*yet another leyendecker redraw, a lá aziracrow! by izel-scribbles (Ineffable Husbands)
Heaven Official's Blessing
*The Courtship // Leyendecker study by curiosity-killed (HuaLian)
The Magnus Archives
*im p sure this is the closest its ever gonna get to done but i like it too much to not post it by marberrie (Annabelle Cane)
Star Trek
*Art assignment :-] by mothhmans (Spock/Uhura)
===The Donchester – the Cluett Dress Shirt (1911)===
Arcane
*Third of the Leyendecker series ✨ by littlebeesart (Jayce/Viktor)
Baldur's Gate III
*Leyendecker lads Astarion and Dris by stoupax (Tav/Astarion)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
*„you have to stop rescuing me“ by maalidoesart (Coriolanus/Sejanus)
Dracula Daily
*It's Van Helsing Day! by bluelightningcommander (Dracula/Van Helsing)
Hades 
*Portrait of Two Men by Toydreamings (Achilles/Patroclus)
Harry Potter
*tfw ur arch nemesis boything starts talking about some political thing u could give less than a shit about by iheartbeers (Draco/Harry)
The Magnus Archives
*lonlely eyes study based off this leyendecker painting by jaradraws (Peter/Elias)
Mob Psycho 100
*Leyendecker redraw bc am I really a fanartist if I don't do a Leyendecker redraw? by deydenier (Reigen/Serizawa)
Red Dead Redemption
*J.C. Leyendecker style studies with RDR2 characters by CaptainButtmerica
X-Men
*you are not alone by maalidoesart (Charles/Erik)
===Man and Woman Dancing (1923)===
This piece was another Arrow Collar advertisement.https://costumesociety.org.uk/blog/post/review-j.c-leyendecker-exhibition-at-the-new-york-historical-society
Baldur's Gate III
*Bg3 Leyendecker commission for @ kero_meru on twitter ✨ by julnites (Tav/Astarion)
Good Omens
*The ineffable husbands as “Couple Dancing” by Leyendecker by axel-tiredstudent (Ineffable Husbands)
Infinity Train
*held too tight by officialspec (Grace/Simon)
Sailor Moon
*Whee! I made a picture. by sapentia-arboretum (Haruka/Michiru)
The X-Files
*msr leyendecker study by times-to-die (Scully/Mulder)
Yuri On Ice
*My final print for AN (G15)!! by snotprince (Victor/Yuuri) for Anime North 2017
===Men Reading (1914)===
This piece is another Arrow Collar advertisement.
Arcane
*Happy birthday Viktor! ✨✨ by littlebeesart (Jayce/Viktor)
Boku no Hero Academia
* A Leyendecker study I did of Yagi using copics on bristol by frienem (Toshinori Yagi)
Good Omens
*live laugh leyendecker by c0rvidski (Ineffable Husbands)
The Magnus Archives
* elias is about to get out the divorce papers again by cozycapybara (Elias/Peter)
Pathologic
*A dapper Bachelor, perhaps in his days of study before the events of the Town-On-Gorkhon, and the Plague by arazmis (Daniil Dankovsky)
Pokémon
*Our New Air Of Authority / Our Sentinel Of Misery by vinnystaysawake (Cyrus)
===Romeo and Juliet (1929)===
This piece is another Saturday Morning Post cover.
Critical Role
*Sometimes sad cat wizards deserve to get swept off their feet by their narrative foils. by saturdaysky (Essek/Caleb)
Good Omens
*Remake of Leyendecker's Romeo and Juliet for Ineffable Con #2 by aivelin (Ineffable Husbands) for The Ineffable Con
Interview with the Vampire
*reposting some iwtv art starting with leyendecker loumand by meltyish (Louis/Armand)
The Legend of Zelda
*Zelink as Romeo and Juliet by JC Leyendecker for @AtelierHylia’s second volume by mimi-maru (Link/Zelda) for Atelier Hylia
X-Men
*Scott x Emma brainrot by enragedandy (Scott/Emma)
===Vacation (1907)===
Arcane
*My next Leyendecker piece from my arcane / Leyendecker series✨ by littlebeesart (Cait/Vi)
Hades
*𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖈𝖍 by toydreaming (platonic Alecto and Tisiphone)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
*leyendecker study with bucciarati and abbacchio 🤎 (Bruno/Leone)
Sailor Moon
*My third image in a series of Leyendecker studies by sapientia-arborum (Rei/Minako)
===Weapons for Liberty (1918)===
This piece advertised USA bonds to fund the first World War.https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll33/id/108975%7Cdpla_id=5a61a02b33c3c4d616753686a4c70ac5%7Clocal_id=/
DC Comics
*A Leyendecker Poster Tribute based off of this WWI Bonds Advert. by youkaiyume (Diana Prince and Steve Trevor)
Fire Emblem
*The Saturday Ylissean Post by snotprince (Lucina and Robin)
Star Wars
*do with less, so they can do more! (Cody and Obi-Wan)
==Other Paintings==
====A Different Dancing Couple====
The Band Ghost
*untitled by missygoesmeow
Bridgerton
*Polin 🐝🪻 by kuronekoartsblog (Penelope/Colin)
====Multi====
The Magnus Archives
*https://apocalypticsinn.tumblr.com/post/736116546941894656/all-the-art-ive-done-so-far-based-on-jc multifandom compilation, consider identifying solo posts
==Resources==
* by tf2humbug
*jcleyendecker Tumblr fanblog
==References==
Category:Fine Art