During this weeks study I was captured by what was described as "the golden age of American illustration", considered by different sources to span the decades from somewhere between 1880/1890 to 1920/1940. I did some Internet research to try and find more examples of work by the likes of Thomas Nast, Charles Dana Gibson, Howard Pyle and others from that era such as Norman Rockwell and hopefully discover some museum exhibits I can visit.
The first resource I came across was the National Museum of American Illustration (NMAI). This museum, founded in 1998, is housed in a historical location constructed during the Golden Age (in 1898). This exhibit is a permanent installation and contains works by both Charles D. Gibson and Howard Pyle, along many other significant illustrators of the time including Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish. Unfortunately for me, it's located in Newport, RI so it's not going to be an easy visit. Below is a 10 minute YouTube video giving a sample of what this museum is about and some of the work they have on display.
J. C. LEYENDECKER EASTER - GIRL WITH BONNET
Next I came across a link to the website for the American Illustrators Gallery NYC (AIG), founded in 1965 by Director Judy Goffman Cutler. It turns out Cutler was also involved in the founding of the NMAI. The AIG claims to be "the premier exhibitor, buyer and seller of American illustration art in the world". There are very few samples available to view online, but this looks to be another great resource for any aspiring illustrators living on the east coast or visiting NYC, or for anyone looking to build a collection of original Illustration art! I noticed this exhibit also contains the work of Pyle and Gibson, along with over 100 others, but like the NMAI lacks any mention of Thomas Nast. My favorite piece from the samples I viewed was the Leyendecker piece to the right, the cartoon style of the painting and the angel wings sprouting from the girls back convey a childish innocence and the use of rough brush strokes is very pleasing to my eye.
Charles D. Gibson
Frustrated by the apparent lack of any great American illustrator exhibitions at museums within a reasonable driving distance of me (the greater SF bay area), and not finding any repositories for any Thomas Nast works, I turned my attention to online resources. I landed on a page hosted by the Library of Congress called the Cabinet of American Illustration (CAI). Now I'm getting somewhere!
Thomas Nast
This is a vast collection, over 4,000 pieces, mostly between the years of 1880-1910, and all of these are available for viewing online or downloading. You can also sort or search the collection by artist, by format or by subject. This collection contains 75 pieces by Gibson, 65 by Nast and 10 by Pyle. The limited selection of Pyle was rather weak, but I found many good specimens of Gibson and Nast. I found the very sketched line drawing style primarily employed by both of them to be very appealing. I do realize however this is also more of an element of the times rather than just a stylistic choice by the artist. I also really enjoyed this opportunity to view a larger selection of Nast's many political cartoons, and considering our current political climate it was entertaining to take a peek into the political climate of just over 100 years ago.
