Cartoons and Covers
Held illustrated many covers for Life prior to its 1936 purchase by Henry Luce. In addition to his archetypical flapper illustrations, Held also drew cartoons in a 19th-century woodcut style. From 1925 to 1932, his woodcut cartoons and faux maps were published frequently in The New Yorker, founded by his high school classmate Harold Ross. Held created the iconic "Wise Men Fish Here" sign which hung above the door of the Gotham Book Mart for the life of the store.
His post-1930 works are not as well known, but he was versatile enough to earn a living through the Great Depression and beyond. By 1952, the nostalgia market featured 1920s designs, and Held's earlier works enjoyed a revival.
Held died in 1958 at age 69 of throat cancer.
Read more about this topic: John Held, Jr.
Famous quotes containing the word covers:
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