Old-Fashioned Christmas Greetings from John Held, Jr.

Many readers back in the 1920s or early '30s were familiar with the Jazz Age illustrations of John Held, Jr. Often they depicted flappers and the men who loved them tearing up the dance floor. Those readers also would have been similarly familiar with Held's woodblock print style, which gently poked fun at the staid ways of their 19th century forebears, that is to say, the previous generations. 

A 1931 page from Liberty magazine, via Rob Stolzer on Comic Art Fans, shows how deftly Held utilized these two very different and very wonderful styles to great effect:

Music Hath Charms
John Held, Jr.
Liberty, October 17, 1931

Scan by Rob Stolzer

https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1667682

All of which is meant to serve as a preamble to a vintage Christmas card that turned up on eBay in Held's retro, woodcut style. It is time to gather round the punch bowl, ladies and gentlemen, and to celebrate the season. Let us offer Christmas greetings by raising a glass to all those present, and to that antiquated yet somehow forever-young style of Held's that today recalls our grandparents's grandparents. He frequently signed such art as if it were "engraved," or in this case just "Eng." Cheers!

John Held, Jr.
eBay listing accessed October 25, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/317423754615?_skw=john+held+jr&itmmeta=01K8DZNANNFRWH7QFFXNE3YPGX&hash=item49e7ee1d77:g:LLoAAeSwmENo7-Ry&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8IUNi59bckQcV2ImusJGAkGsA7vEDri1BBGgDcublvwsgqcDIcr3o1%2FlUFSjn0zl5PoF%2FJZMJmQogW2Fo8EuhoQ8l4K%2FNZ%2BtmPkNEhvrBfxsptOO950RB

UcKS%2BDwvKIHbgmChoNYGKZ8jC1n6%2BNu79MDzReMHDzO0rfjJvwOdNQW%2Bf3Si2m2IcbOOCOv19t78QGTD0pQr91E1XmrNZsfZ7Aywbf3jQTp64auKeLRHkhDo%2Bm0OWMyXSESujZMJaTcepkPFdHowqYEo%2BEnax%2FKYecguvccShOfgor3fkuafhbVfuz9Tz3FWEHseBXxEFjcMcA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4Kr1b_DZg

John Held, Jr.
eBay item description

The card is as yet unsold, but its price is very slowly coming down.

Note:  My several posts depicting Christmas card art by John Held, Jr., in this "engraved" woodcut style may be seen here.

05152

Cocktail Napkins by John Held, Jr.

Two vintage cocktail napkins dating, very likely, from the 1920s and designed by John Held, Jr., in his woodcut style, are currently listed on eBay:

John Held, Jr.
eBay listing accessed September 10, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/127038341312?_skw=john+held+jr&itmmeta=01K3J5NYNRT6Q07WZRR0ZK7KCE&hash=item1d941340c0:g:qdcAAeSwep9n1E47&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0IUNi59bckQcV2ImusJGAkFavM%2BnzXkkMwwUDcyIUHH2Z4AbpgHsgCGSArbHjuI%2FNQqLxCuIe8xfAjjXbvhi4sEtTqrthJ0UPBI9GIojYmx82sNGKPwKcxF0wXKyf22zkGcPN5LYcfr7Ux%2BGBDug2nU4DmONOk6Yi5ab4hUcHS8Ib6yytrtYD6Y7uMUQV1yuZO9SR0pH7eXp0%2FOdQLtJW%2FGEt6xn2LJ5JBCKJt9oT0zPJn9c7ec2IzqoDMmtAMqQdsgAEOske0XFLXIZGZmCqG0%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4Tr18WcZg&pfm=1

John Held, Jr.
eBay item description

More can be found on Etsy. Here are four other designs, plus a "Kiss Me Quick" variant in red:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1896950577/vintage-john-held-jr-linen-cocktail

There's a seventh design, "Oh You Kid" (as in the popular 1909 song "I Love, I Love, I Love My Wife—But Oh! You Kid!") and further color variants of other designs:

https://estatesales.org/online-auctions/linen-cocktail-napkins-by-john-82303773

Cheers!

05060

Singing Along with John Held, Jr.

Late in 2017 on eBay, six as yet unsold woodblock prints by John Held, Jr., caught my eye. And my ear.

This next print does not, I think, refer to any one specific song but, rather, to the entire genre of work featuring the sad clown known as Pierrot:

Note:  I've always wondered how many of these woodblock prints Held pulled or, to put it another way, what was the approximate edition size? Or did he just stop when he felt he got it right? Did he treat these as originals intended primarily for reproduction or as print editions to sell to his fans?

 

03505

An Honest Heart by John Held, Jr.

We know that a William T. Todd of Oxford Mills, Ottawa, died in September of 1931 and that a William T. Todd of Pittsburgh was about 70 years of age at that time. Neither is a known artist or would seem to be credible as the creator of An Honest Heart, Or, Hard at Work Really Wishing You A Merry Christmas which is adorned with the year 1931—possibly the coming New Year—and which looks for all the world like the work of John Held, Jr. The artwork has printer's marks on it and was likely published as a Christmas card. Held was known to sign his "engravings" with great wit, but why he specifically would choose to sign one "Done by William T. Todd, who scorns empty words" is not at all clear. The paper has extensive pencil underlining—see the candle flame and the table, etc.—an indication that he drew directly with ink on this imitation woodblock print.

An Honest Heart
Or, Hard at Work Really Wishing You A Merry Christmas, c. 1930
John Held, Jr. 
"Done by William T. Todd, who scorns empty words"

William T. Todd (John Held, Jr.?)
eBay Item Description as of June 15, 2017
Sold for $25 on June 17, 2017

http://www.ebay.com/itm/William-T-Todd-honest-heart-1931-Christmas-illustration-cartoon-original-art-NR-/142412779300?hash=item2128768f24:g:1kYAAOSwax5Ywvw2

William T. Todd (John Held, Jr.?)
eBay Item Description

An Honest Heart
Or, Hard at Work Really Wishing You A Merry Christmas, c. 1930
John Held, Jr. 
"Done by William T. Todd, who scorns empty words"

Note:  What's the connection to William T. Todd? Readers are invited to speculate. John Held, Jr., usually signed his own name to his art. My wishbone wish would be for readers to share scans or photographs of his original or published art, including retro designs for Christmas cards. Information about this particular piece's lost publication history would be welcome as well.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

John Held, Jr.

Christmas

Attempted Bloggery's Hearty Index

Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.

02394

Christmas Greetings from John Held, Jr.

John Held, Jr., was hands-down the most popular illustrator of the 1920s. His flappers and their companions seemed to effortlessly embody the Jazz Age. But he also created a line of remarkable linoleum block prints masquerading as late 19th century "engravings." They are endlessly nostalgic for the magic of a lost age every bit as much as his flapper drawings are expressive of his own moment. Three vintage Christmas cards in this charmingly old-fashioned style surfaced recently on eBay. They romanticize the joys of Christmas shopping in a bygone era.

John Held, Jr.
eBay Listing as of June 15, 2017

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOHN-HELD-JR-GROUP-OF-3-WOODCUT-CHRISTMAS-CARDS-/322546481572?hash=item4b1944b9a4:g:rSMAAOSwvihY84-f

John Held, Jr.
eBay Item Description

Note:  John Held, Jr., was a formidable talent whether celebrating the Roaring Twenties or the Gay Nineties. Readers with examples of his unflappable flappers or topping top hatters are invited to send scans or photographs this way.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

John Held, Jr.

Christmas

Attempted Bloggery's Humbug Index

Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.

02393