“Cowboy and Setting Sun” by N.C. Wyeth

Great American artist N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945) was a realist, as this 1907 cover shows. His first commission was to paint a cover for The Saturday Evening Post in 1903, a heady success for the tender age of twenty-one. The Post then commissioned him to illustrate a Western story, and Howard Pyle, under whom he studied, encouraged his venture West to study the real thing. Already very much the outdoorsman, Wyeth worked as a cowboy and ranch hand, obtaining much more than a fancy art school education.

“Gary Cooper as the Texan” by Norman Rockwell

Twenty-five years or so later, an artist named Rockwell made his own trip out west, to a land called Hollywood. The artist thought it would be ironic to show a big, strapping “cowboy” getting his face made up. Hollywood was excited to have one of its stars appear on a Saturday Evening Post cover by the likes of Norman Rockwell, and the illustrator could have his pick. He selected a winner in handsome Gary Cooper. “He posed for me in Hollywood for three days and worked as conscientiously as any model I ever had,” Rockwell wrote. “Everyone at the set was crazy about him and I could see why.”

“Playing Cowboy” by Amos Sewell

From 1951, this youngster on the bucking two-wheeled bronco is determined to lasso that ornery, good-for-nothing fence post. Artist Amos Sewell did 45 Post covers from 1949-1962, mostly of kids being kids.

“Woman on Horse in Mountains” by W.H.D. Koerner

We’ll call this 1928 cover “Romance of the Cowgirl.” W.H.D. Koerner (1878-1938) was one of the great artists of the American West. Although he lived on the east coast, he made many trips to scenic Western sites like Yellowstone and the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. He illustrated many stories of Western fiction that appeared in the Post and Country Gentleman magazines.

“Tom Mix” by Rolf Armstrong

For most of us, Tom Mix (1880-1940) was before our time, but he set the standard for movie and TV cowboys to come. Starring in over 300 movies (mostly silent films), he is described as our “first Western megastar.” The films were more showmanship than authentic, but Americans became hooked on the romance of the West.

“Herding Horses” by John Clymer

“How nice it is to be a Western horse and seldom come to a fence or the inside of a barn door,” reflected Post editors of this 1952 Wyoming scene. With the help of his pigtailed daughter behind him, this rancher moves a herd of horses across the river. The dog is assisting as well, even though we can only see his head barely above the water. Artist John Clymer (1907-1989) turned many American landscapes into beautiful Post covers.

“Cowboy Asleep in Beauty Salon” by Kurt Ard

Well, partner, this cowboy’s had a long day ropin’, shootin’ and riding the range. By the time he got to this here fixin’-up place, he was plumb tuckered out. This adorable 1961 cowboy is by artist Kurt Ard.

For more Western art, see “Native American Covers.”

Spring 1977

By kind permission of Coe Kerr Gallery in 1977, we were able to reproduce this painting by Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860). It was of his brother, Ruebens (do you think the parents might have been art buffs?) and shows him here “with the first geranium brought to America in 1801.” The editors further informed us that “the Peales ran what amounted to a portrait factory where they painted Indians, patriots, still lifes, landscapes, miniatures and themselves–in great abundance.” And apparently with exquisite skill.

June 1953

Since it was a magazine for farmers, Country Gentleman covers were frequently of livestock or farm scenes. This peaceful June scene was in the heart of dairyland in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. The artist was Robert Addison. As serene and picturesque as it appeared here, this was a working dairy farm of 197 acres. But wait…I found a great painting of a movie star and a cover painted by a former President…

Winter 1976

From a peaceful summer scene to a peaceful winter scene – and can you see the artist’s signature? White Church in the Country was painted by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1961 “amidst the stifling one-hundred-degree heat of the Palm Desert in California.” Eisenhower loved golf, but “daubing,” as he referred to his painting, was his second-favorite hobby. A very fine portrait of Eisenhower by Norman Rockwell appeared on a Saturday Evening Post cover in 1952. And speaking of Rockwell…

Spring 1979

This 1979 cover was a repeat – it originally appeared on Country Gentleman magazine in 1922. It was the result of a contest to find the most representative “Country Gent” salesboy. The winner got to pose for Norman Rockwell! “The response was overwhelming,” editors informed us. “500,000 young entrepreneurs mailed in their photos, and one George Hamilton of Binghampton, New York, was chosen as the lucky model.” George’s mother had sent a photo of him holding four fox terriers. “Never mind that the puppies had somehow switched their breed…to beagles,” the editors noted, “for Norman Rockwell transformed the ordinary into magic.” This we all well know.

Spring 1978

What movie buff wouldn’t love this cover? The handsome cowboy, of course, is Jimmy Stewart. He was painted by artist Robert Abbett for the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. Stewart had great appreciation for the Hollywood Western. “It saved my career, after the war,” he is quoted as saying in this issue, “and everybody knows what it did for Gary Cooper and Duke Wayne. Naturally, I’m grateful.” And we’re grateful for such a beautiful way to remember a beloved actor.

Fall 1976

For a magazine named Country Gentleman, this must be the quintessential cover. Known as a “sporting painter,” George Stubbs (1724-1806) painted horses, dogs, hay wagons, and harvesting activities against the English countryside. This gem is called Sir John Nelthorpe Out Shooting.

Spring 1976

Seems I’m always discovering a new artist. Okay, so this “new” artist was born in 1780, but renowned primitive painter Edward Hicks was new to me. This is a portion of a stunning painting of James Cornell’s Pennsylvania farm circa 1848 on an Indian summer day. The farm won a five-dollar prize for the “best cultivated farm over 100 acres,” which the editors informed us was “five years before the Genessee Farmer and The Cultivator combined to create the first Country Gentleman magazine.” Not as old as The Saturday Evening Post, but Country Gentleman sure went back a fer piece. If you hunger to see more Country Gentleman covers, or have a question about Saturday Evening Post covers, feel free to comment and let us know.