Fine Art M.S. Rau | Gum Kids By Leslie Thrasher

Leslie Thrasher
1889-1936 | American

Gum Kids


Signed “Leslie Thrasher” (Lower Left)
Oil On Canvas

Two Young Children Play An Ill-Advised Game Of Gum Stretching On The Family Couch In This Charming Composition By Famed American Illustrator, Leslie Thrasher. Painted Towards The Start Of The Great Depression, Thrasher Provided Light-Hearted Images Of The Lives Of Everyday People To Distract Americans From Their Troubles. These Images Appeared On The Covers Of Liberty Magazine, For Whom He Produced One Cover Illustration A Week For Six Consecutive Years.

Born In 1889 In Piedmont, West Virginia, Thrasher Studied At The Pennsylvania Academy Of Fine Arts As A Teenager And Received A Scholarship To Study Art Abroad In Paris. Upon His Return, He Began Studying Under Howard Pyle, Known As The “Father Of American Illustration.” Thrasher Sold His First Cover Illustration To The Saturday Evening Post In 1912, Four Years Before Norman Rockwell’S First Post Cover, And He Would Go On To Produce Over 360 Magazine Covers Throughout His Career. He Painted Humorous, Relatable Scenes Of Life In America With Colorful Characters Set Against White Backgrounds. He Was Also A Successful Commercial Artist, Painting Advertisements For Cream Of Wheat, Chesterfield Cigarettes And Fisk Tire.

Circa 1930

Canvas: 14 1/8″ High X 13 1/8″ Wide
Frame: 18 1/4″ High X 17 3/8″ High