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.
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
"Sexual freedom was a mania and it strikes me only now that for the past fifty years every generation is convinced that it was the pioneer in breaking with Victorian morals. That breakthrough, as an historical fact, occurred in the Garden of Eden."
--"Alistair Cooke's America" (1973)
These four "engravings" by John Held, Jr. are from the estate of H. N. Swanson and were in all likelihood published in Swanson's College Humor magazine. In general, they lampoon the supposed repressed sexuality of a previous generation. Possibly they date from the late 1920's. Held published drawings in a similar woodcut print style in The New Yorker.
Whatever these are, they are not true engravings. They could, of course, be a very nice set of linoleum block prints, but they may indeed be unique creations skillfully executed in the style of Victorian woodcuts. All four were sold on eBay this past March, nicely framed, for just $53--a veritable "sock in the eye!"
John Held, Jr., "The Interrupted Love Scene A situation as old as the pyramids. But much funnier Eng. by John Held Jr" Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "The Interrupted Love Scene A situation as old as the pyramids. But much funnier Eng. by John Held Jr" Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "The Interrupted Love Scene A situation as old as the pyramids. But much funnier Eng. by John Held Jr" Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "There is No Moment Like the One When Your Hair Comes Tumbling Down Eng by John Held Jr an old hair Tousler himself" Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "There is No Moment Like the One When Your Hair Comes Tumbling Down Eng by John Held Jr an old hair Tousler himself" Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "There is No Moment Like the One When Your Hair Comes Tumbling Down Eng by John Held Jr an old hair Tousler himself" Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "'He Who Lays his Head on a Woman's Bosom Must Beware of a Sock in the Eye' Eng. by John Held Jr. who is still a boy at heart." Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "'He Who Lays his Head on a Woman's Bosom Must Beware of a Sock in the Eye' Eng. by John Held Jr. who is still a boy at heart." Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "'He Who Lays his Head on a Woman's Bosom Must Beware of a Sock in the Eye' Eng. by John Held Jr. who is still a boy at heart." Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "Victorian Honeymooners Pretending That There is No Such Thing as a Bed Engraved by John Held Jr. that early American humanist" Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "Victorian Honeymooners Pretending That There is No Such Thing as a Bed Engraved by John Held Jr. that early American humanist" Original art for College Humor?
John Held, Jr., "Victorian Honeymooners Pretending That There is No Such Thing as a Bed Engraved by John Held Jr. that early American humanist" Original art for College Humor?
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