Without a doubt when we think of the Flapper - young
women in the 1920s who wore dresses with low waistlines and bobbed their air –
we have the artist John Held, Jr. to thank for the images etched into our
minds.
You’ve see his work before. You just might not have known it was his. He has been described as the right artist at
the right time to capture the essence of the Roaring 20s – the decade of the
Flapper. He created the wonderful cover
of F. Scott Fitzgerald's book:
Selling his first drawing at age 9, Held was known as a
child prodigy, and by age 15 he had sold his first illustration to Life.
In 1918, he was recruited by U.S. Naval Intelligence to accompany a pair
of archaeologist on an expedition to Central America to study Mayan
art forms. Their real mission was to
sketch the coastline and scout for sites for military operations
From 1925 to 1936 many of his woodcut cartoons and faux
maps were published in The New Yorker. It certainly didn’t hurt that one of Held’s
boyhood friends had begun the magazine.
Held had a running feature called Gay
Nineties that made fun of past generations.
Prior to 1936 his work appeared on many Life magazine
covers.
During the 1920s his drawings usually showed characters dancing, driving, drinking - just doing fun things. Held was so popular during the 1920s people would send him a blank check begging him for a drawing. His work appeared in six magazines, he designed sets and costumes for Broadway plays and published two newspaper strips - Margie and Rah Rah Rosalie.
He even used his popularity by running for Congress at
one point.
By 1952, people were nostalgic for the Roaring 20s and his
work was popular once more and a book Held published along with Frank B.
Gilbreath, Jr. titled Held’s Angels
certain helped to bring raccoon coats, bobbed hair, short skirts and Charleston
back to the forefront again.
Held passed away in 1958.
