Under Cover July 9, 2023

 One of my favorite spots is the New York Historical Society.A small exhibition examines the work and influence of J.C. Leyendecker (1874–1951), a preeminent illustrator and commercial artist who helped shape American visual culture in the first three decades of the 20th century through captivating advertising campaigns including the legendary “Arrow Collar Man” and countless covers for the Saturday Evening Post. As a gay artist whose illustrations for a mainstream audience often had unspoken homoerotic undertones, his work is especially revealing for what it says about the cultural attitudes towards homosexuality of the period. J.C. Leyendecker’s favorite model was none other than Charles A. Beach—his life partner. This exhibit close August 13.