Howard Chandler Christy

Howard Chandler Christy (Jan 10, 1873 - Mar 3, 1952) was an American artist and illustrator famous for the "Christy Girl", similar to a "Gibson Girl" – who became the most popular portrait painter of the Jazz Age era Christy painted such luminaries as Lt Col Theodore Roosevelt, and Presidents Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, and Truman Other famous people include William Randolph Hearst, the Prince of Wales (Edward the VIII), Eddie Rickenbacker, Benito Mussolini, Prince Umberto, Amelia Earhart From the 1920s until the 1940s, Christy was well known for capturing the likenesses of congressmen, senators, industrialists, movies stars, and socialites

As an aspiring artist, Christy received formal training in art in New York City at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design—two schools responsible for turning out some of the most prolific and celebrated illustrators of the century He studied under the renowned impressionist artist, William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) at the Arts Students League

Christy was born in Morgan County and attended early school in Duncan Falls, Ohio He then studied in New York at the Art Students League from 1890 to 1891 and then at the National Academy under William Merritt Chase, first at Chase's summer retreat at Shinnecock, Long Island, and then at his 10th Street Studio

With the abrupt onset of the Spanish-American War in 1898, an impassioned Christy offered his services and went with United States troops to Cuba He used his draftsman skills to document the events of battle with pen and ink illustrations that were published to accompany articles about the war’s progress Scribner's, Harper's, Century, and Leslie's Weekly were the biggest names in the magazine industry, and all were vying for his drawings With mass circulation, these works augmented Christy’s modest reputation into one that became highly regarded By the time he returned to the United States, Christy was a highly sought after by magazine syndicates

Christy first attracted attention with his realistic illustrations and several articles as a combat artist during the Spanish–American War that included the Battle of Las Guasimas, the Battle of El Caney and the Battle of San Juan Hill, published in Scribner's, Harper's, and Leslie's Weekly magazines, and in Collier's Weekly Christy gained especial prominence with the series, "Men of the Army and Navy", and a portrait of Colonel Roosevelt that appeared on the cover of his Rough Riders series published in Scribner's These illustrations propelled Christy to national prominence From this, he decided to turn away from war and painting men in uniform Instead, he yearned for beauty and created the "Christy Girl", redefining the portrayal of women in America through his illustrations and portraits He captured the modern American woman – tall, confident, elegant, witty and athletic

Christy began working regularly for Scribner’s, and when his painting of “The Soldier’s Dream” was published, his famous 'Christy Girl' was born The ‘Christy Girl,' like Charles Dana Gibson’s ‘Gibson Girl,’ evolved from a single character, into a type—one who was beloved for her embodiment of the ideal American woman for her elegant confidence, athleticism, and beauty The success of his ‘Christy Girl’ brought the artist into the niche of contemporaneously recognized “women’s themes,” where he would remain for quite some time In fact, Christy was so highly regarded as a trendsetter in fashion and decorum that he was chosen to serve as the singular judge in the inaugural year of the Miss America Pageant in 1921, and designed the original trophy

He would paint patriotic posters for the US Navy and US Marine Corps He also came to be known for his illustrations of the works of such as the well-known war correspondent, Richard Harding Davis

By 1915 another war loomed, and once again Christy offered his talents to support the war effort, this time designing government posters for the Red Cross and civilian involvement His posters, Gee, I wish I were a Man! and I Want You for the Navy became iconic and are still heralded to this day

He illustrated books during this period as well

Christy transitioned into becoming a portrait artist after World War I Already holding a significant reputation in the field, he was able to paint many celebrities and political figures, including Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, James K Polk, Martin Van Buren, James A Garfield, and Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, the Crown Prince Umberto of Italy, Amelia Earhart, General Douglas MacArthur, Charles Evans Hughes, Lawrence Tibbett, Mrs William Randolph Hearst, and even Benito Mussolini

The 1930s marked yet another transition in Christy’s career, when in the late 1920s, his interests shifted to mural painting A neo-Gothic-style building known as The Hotel des Artistes in New York City houses Christy’s earliest mural success Despite its name, the building was never a hotel, but rather a complex of 115 apartments, one of which Christy used for his studio In the late 1920s he began designing a mural series for the café, entitled: Fantasy Scenes with Naked Beauties It is comprised of nine oil paintings mounted on canvas, with images of allegorical nymphs, foliage, and wildlife animals The project was finally completed in 1935 Another famous mural, The Signing of the Constitution, was completed in the 1940s for the rotunda of the Capitol building in Washington, DC

Having made his reputation for his work as a combat artist and in support of America's World War One effort, Christy soon was illustrating for numerous magazine covers He became famous for the "Christy Girl", a picturesque and romantic type of society women peculiarly his own His work, whether in watercolor, oils, or pen-and-ink, is characterized by great facility, a dashing but not exaggerated style and a strong sense of values Together with fellow artists Harrison Fisher and Neysa McMein he constituted the Motion Picture Classic magazine's "Fame and Fortune" contest jury of 1921–22, who discovered the It girl, Clara Bow

In 1940, he painted the Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, which was installed in the House of Representatives wing in the United States Capitol Some of his work, newly cleaned, is on display at The Leopard at des Artistes restaurant, the successor to the legendary New York City restaurant Café des Artistes They include six panels of wood nymphs and paintings such as The Parrot Girl, The Swing Girl, Ponce De Leon, Fall, Spring and the Fountain of Youth

Another Christy painting has been displayed at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center The Zanesville Museum of Art in Zanesville, Ohio, has on permanent display Christy's Portrait of Dorothy Barton Thomas, with other Christy posters, prints and paintings in their collection

Christy was married twice, both times to women who had modeled for him as one of his "Christy Girls" The first was Maebelle Gertrude Thompson, whom he married on October 15, 1898, shortly after his return from the Spanish–American War They had a daughter named Natalie Chandler Christy They finally divorced in May 1919, after over ten years of periodic separation and bitter divorce and custody battles

His second marriage was to Nancy Mae (née Coone) Palmer, a widow who had modeled for him for over eight years prior to their marriage

In the early 1930s, he met Elise Ford who became his model for the murals on Café des Artistes wall Elise Ford was also Christy's model for the 1941 "I Am An American Poster" personifying America "rushing forward to give the touch of the contagion of liberty and democracy to the rest of the world" in the words of then New York Mayor Fiorello H La Guardia Forty years his junior, she became Christy's companion until his death at age 80 They had a daughter named Holly (Holly Christina Longuski née Holly Ford) born in 1939 while he was painting Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States

Like many successful artists, Christy also taught art classes He was hired for brief periods by Cooper Union, the Chase School, New York School of Art, and the Art Students League

A novelistic biography of Christy, The Magic of Youth, was published in 2016 by James Philip Head It is the first book in a projected trilogy titled An Affair with Beauty - The Mystique of Howard Chandler Christy Subsequent volumes will be published in 2018 and 2020

In recognition of his contributions to the field, Howard Chandler Christy was a member of the Society of Illustrators from 1915, and inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1980 His papers can be found at the Lafayette College Special Collections & College Archives
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