Classic Covers: Father’s Day, 1950s Style

Enter the prosperous 1950s, when Dad was king of his suburban castle. The nuclear family had followed the new interstate system right out of the city and settled into small communities of manicured lawns, picture windows, and Sunday barbecues. And Dad outside the city limits proved to be a perfect character for the situational comedies portrayed on Post covers. Join us in a fun look at ’50s dads (or should we say daddy-os?). They just may remind you of someone you love.

Pop vs. Pup

Sending out smoke signals has made this dad popular with more than just his family. Artist Ben Prins got the idea for the cover while outside feeding his children’s three cats. Post editors wrote that dogs would “drop around to pass the time of day” during chow time at the Prins residence.

Bad Dad

“This is my favorite Post cover for Father’s Day,” emailed reader Bob McGowan of California. “It’s best known as Sunday Morning, but I’ve nicknamed it ‘Bad Dad,’ as he knows he should be dressed in his Sunday best, also headed out the door to church with Mom and the youngsters.” [See how to get your favorite covers featured below.]

Rockwell’s obsession with detail shows in this 1959 cover. He went to several furniture stores until he found just the right chair for this “bad dad” to slink in. And, if you click on the image for a close-up view, you’ll see a more mischievous detail: The artist arranged “horns” into the sinner’s disheveled hair.

Father Figure

Is there no sacrifice too great for Dad? The problem with proving that the medicine is not so repulsive is that Pop is a lousy actor. Even without the giveaway expression, editors noted, “Junior wouldn’t have fallen for the treachery. Every youngster learns at the dinner table to mistrust what his parents say tastes fine until he finds out for himself.” Artist George Hughes, who did 115 Post covers, knew all about parental scams: He had five daughters.

Gone Daddy Gone

“It is heartwarming,” wrote Post editors of this Hughes cover, “to see how this boy trusts his father to halt that vehicle before both teacher and pupil land on their ears. It is heart-chilling to see how the father doesn’t.”

Father Knows Best?

“Old folks are so fussy about noises at night,” wrote Post editors of this 1955 cover. “They hear a burglar, and they grope downstairs, and there is none, or they hear a pillow fight, and grope upstairs, and there is none. If [artist] Thornton Utz’s father doesn’t stop fussing around, he’ll wake those boys up.” Right. This dad isn’t buying it; the readers aren’t buying it; and, admit it, neither did your dad.

Do you have a favorite Post cover? Tell us about it and we’ll feature it with your comments in an upcoming cover art piece! If you don’t know the date or artist, just give us a brief description. Send to [email protected].

See our collection of cover art here.

Classic Covers: Yard Work

From mowing and tree planting to a neighborhood nonconformist, 1950s-style, these timeless covers are just in time to inspire you to tackle that yard.

Woman in Wheelbarrow
Ellen Pyle
June 20, 1931

Ellen Pyle (1876-1936) was known for her beautiful use of color. In 1927, she received a note from fellow cover artist Norman Rockwell about how much he liked her Post covers. “They are dandy. So full of color and so broadly painted. Believe me I envy you the latter quality particularly,” he wrote, according to Delaware Art Museum’s Illustrating Her World: Ellen B. T. Pyle.

As in many of her 40 covers for the Post, the model is one of Pyle’s children. In this case, teenage daughter Caroline is taking a wheelbarrow break from gardening duties.

Baseball Player Mowing the Lawn
Stevan Dohanos
July 20, 1946

“When summer rolled around,” wrote Post editors of this 1946 cover, “and the grass in Westport, Connecticut, began to grow as fast as a small boy’s hair, Stevan Dohanos recalled one of the duties of his youth and how mowing the lawn can ball up a man’s more important engagements.”

The frame house, however, was not in Connecticut, but back in artist Dohanos’ (1907-1994) hometown of Lorain, Ohio. Editors noted that he sketched it a couple years before it appeared on the cover. “Obviously it was a good stage, a good setting, but he never had decided just what story to tell against this background. Now he uses it to tell of a common summertime crisis—when the star pitcher has to work,” Post editors wrote.

Put the Tree There?
George Hughes
April 9, 1955

Illustrator George Hughes (1907-1990) was an avid outdoorsman, but we’re not sure how he felt about planting trees. He would probably feel the same as the poor guy from the local nursery on this 1955 cover, if he had to deal with an indecisive homeowner.

Hughes painted 115 Post covers, and was especially productive in the 1950s. Typical output for the more popular illustrators was around 40 to 50 covers during a decade. Hughes’ friend Norman Rockwell, for example, did 44 during this period. Hughes did 80 in this timeframe; mostly fun, slice-of-life scenes from midcentury suburban life.

View more in the George Hughes gallery.

Artist Thornton Utz (1914-2000) enjoyed gently bucking the trend and depicting the neighborhood nonconformist. Mr. Leisure in this 1957 cover uses his backyard purely for relaxation, not caring how high the grass gets.

Meanwhile, in nearby yards, neighbors are flummoxed by Mr. Leisure’s indifference—at least those who can spare a second from their suburban chores.

Spring Yard Work
Thornton Utz
May 18, 1957

Even the little girl in the middle yard wastes no time as she tends to her dog’s bath. Post editors mused that the cover might start a debate “about whether people should nourish their backyards or let their backyards nourish them.” We’ll let the reader decide.

Classic Covers: At Home in the ’50s

In a contemporary description of this cover, Post editors wrote that artist John Falter remembered well the spring storms from his Midwestern childhood in Nebraska and the way trees turned up the undersides of their leaves and looked like phantoms.

His more than 125 Post covers depicted everyday life, and often its foibles. (See “John Falter’s August.”)

Falter was known for his masterful use of outdoor light, reflected here with quickly disappearing patches of light and just as rapidly darkening skies.

 

According to a 1938 article in the Post, San Francisco-born artist Amos Sewell worked at a bank for several years, studying art in the evenings and spending vacations sketching up and down the Pacific coast. Then “in 1931, right in the middle of the depression, (Sewell) decided he was tired of the banking business and shipped out as a work-a-way on a lumber boat bound for New York, via the Panama Canal.”

In spite of his earlier vagabond lifestyle, many of Sewell’s 45 covers are notable for their homespun quality. Prime examples include this 1955 suburban toothbrushing scene, a father assembling a swing set (see “Thanks, Dad!”), and a little boy playing cowboy (see “Romance of the Cowboy”).

 

It all says mid-1950s: the TV, the dress, the lamp, the ashtrays… we have everything but tailfins here in this portrait of teenage angst.

The urbane setting (note the glittering city lights in the window) seems far removed from John Falter’s corn-fed Nebraskan boyhood. But let us be reminded of the artist’s meticulously rendered cityscapes as featured in “Can You Guess the City?”.

 

Adept at drawing humor from everyday life, Stevan Dohanos’ covers include a toddler in a bedroom happily emptying purses as grown-ups gather in the next room and a woman “on vacation” at a beach cabin. (See “The Great Covers of Stevan Dohanos.”)

About this 1955 kitchen scene, Post editors wrote: “These newfangled kitchens certainly have helpful equipment, such as wall ovens with windows so one can watch a cake fall.”

 

Artist George Hughes favored vibrant colors and upper-middle class settings. Because the family is fashionably attired, we might assume some level of affluence. Even so, the average home was around $18,000 in 1950, and the sign in this model home states: “This modern spacious split level: $29,995.00.” No question that the family breadwinner is feeling a degree of sticker shock.

On the inside cover of this issue, Post editors quipped that Hughes himself had just purchased a new, one-level home in Vermont “because he is too old a man to climb steps.” Hughes would have been in his 50s at this time, but this sort of teasing banter was typical of the artist/editor relationship.

 

Post editors wrote that the wallpaper with whitewater fishing scenes in Dad’s den is going, and he would soon be a “displaced person.” As the father of two young girls, illustrator George Hughes could certainly identify with turning man caves into kid’s rooms.

Renovation may have also been on his mind because the artist had recently moved from New York City to Arlington, Vermont, in part, to be near other Post artists like Norman Rockwell and Mead Schaeffer.

The country air must have suited Hughes, as the ’50s saw 80 George Hughes covers, making him the most prolific Post artist of the decade. By comparison, other prominent cover illustrators like Richard Sargent and John Falter did 35 and 60 covers, respectively (Rockwell did 45).

Reprints are available at Art.com.

Classic Covers: Unexpected Visitors

You know that moment when you’re nice and comfy—or in a rush to get ready—and someone pops by? Post cover artist George Hughes knows.

“Home Showing” – George Hughes

She’s still in her robe and curlers trying to clean up while Junior and the cat make more messes. In other words, the real estate is in a real state. And here comes old Smiley, the real estate guy, with two perfectly turned out prospects. “Mrs. Smith, I know that we didn’t have an appointment, but we happened to be nearby and…” I don’t know the outcome of this 1962 visit, but I’m sure the refined lady of the house doesn’t end up shoving the vacuum nozzle up old Smiley’s nose. Pretty sure, anyway….

“Sunday Visitors” – George Hughes

I love the look on this man’s face. There’s no way he can avoid getting up for much longer. Artist George Hughes (1900-1990) worked as a fashion illustrator for Vanity Fair and other bastions of style while still very young. It wasn’t until 1942 that he landed his first Saturday Evening Post assignment, illustrating a fiction piece.

“Dog Walks Down Aisle of Church” – George Hughes

Here’s an unexpected visitor from a 1956 cover. The editors wondered: What the heck does Billy do now? Will an usher come and remove Towser? Will the dog hop into the empty space behind Billy? If so, what will the parishioner in that pew do? And if Billy gets up to walk Towser out, there’s no way his parents won’t turn and notice. A good Post cover engenders a lot of “what ifs.”

“Hitting the Buffet” – George Hughes

I laughed out loud when I first saw this 1961 cover. It took me a minute to find the unexpected visitor among the elegantly attired guests. Well, heck, it’s his house! After that 1942 fiction piece, Hughes was assigned to paint the top American Generals over wartime operations in Europe for a Post series called “These are the Generals.” Soon, he was considered as a potential cover artist.

“Bridge Party” – George Hughes

“Tough life, being a husband,” Post editors mused. “When, at breakfast, this one was warned about the bridge fest coming up, it didn’t sink in too well, because doesn’t a man have to concentrate on the morning paper?” This cover is kind of like the royal wedding: One can sit back and make fun of the hats. Having become more secure as an artist, Hughes moved to Arlington, Vermont, where he befriended other Post illustrators such as Mead Schaeffer and Norman Rockwell.

“No Chance to Be Alone” – George Hughes

“How unkind fate is to sweethearts,” Post editors complained, “how heartless painter George Fate Hughes was to bring this about.” And to whom is the guy at the top of the sand hill beckoning? No doubt his obnoxious brother-in-law and their six kids. This is from 1953.

“Sunday Visitors” – George Hughes

“Now we can relax with the paper,” Mr. Conner thinks as he finally bids adieu to the Jones family. Alas, as they say in the infomercials, “But wait, there’s more!” Once again, we plaster on smiles and exchange “good-to-see-yous!” It’s Sunday, so is it okay to pray that this is over before the entire afternoon is shot? Hughes did 115 great Saturday Evening Post covers. Reprints are available at curtispublishing.com

Classic Covers: The Situation Bears Watching

Pop psychologists these days talk about key changes in life; an “aha moment”. Post cover artists, however, are fond of “uh oh” moments.

Worried Rental Agent by Richard Sargent

While potential renters are checking out the closet space, the rental agent is checking out the child. A little boy with a big slingshot is scoping out possible new targets. Did we mention lots of nice windows? Definitely bears watching. This is from 1953.

Public Aquarium by George Hughes

Okay, which little boy came up with this bright idea? “Swimming with the fishes” does not normally have a good connotation, but it sounds cool to these kids. Maybe they’re thinking of diving for buried treasure. The security guard is having one of those “uh oh” moments. This is from 1954 by artist George Hughes.

Dr. and the Dog by Richard Sargent

Talk about a guard! Little Billy is tensed up for a shot and the dog isn’t sure the doctor should proceed. Maybe. We can’t exactly tell the dog’s mood because we can’t see his eyes. But the prognosis for the doctor doesn’t look good. Like the cover with the worried real estate agent above, this cover was by Richard Sargent.

Automobile Showroom by Amos Sewell

Wow! A cool new 1957 something-or-other! Teen One is dying to drive this baby to see how fast she can go. Teen Two is daydreaming about how hot Mary Ellen would look in the seat next to him. And Teen Three is underneath the car soon to emerge with a mechanical question that will stump the watchful dealer. Artist Amos Sewell painted this cover, so the editors dubbed the vehicle the Amos Sewell Super-whiz. That’s the cool thing about being an artist; if you want a hot new car you can just manufacture it yourself.

Saturday Rain by Earl Mayan

The raindrops bear watching, but it looks like the happy gardener is going to win this round. Artist Earl Mayan painted himself as the chagrined golfer, and a friend of his posed for the role of happy flower guy. But will the clouds pass and produce fine golfing weather after all? Well, there’s always next weekend.

Kittens in the Basement by John Falter

When Harry the Cat turns out to be Harriett, it is definitely an uh-oh moment. Let’s hope the kids don’t get too attached to the little cuties because while they’re thinking up names for them, Mom and Pop are trying to figure out ways to get rid of them. That will make the dog happy, because right now he looks like he’s lost his best friends.

Classic Covers: A Road Trip with George Hughes

A successful artist who did over a hundred Saturday Evening Post covers, George Hughes had an interesting relationship with Norman Rockwell. The famous Rockwell would run into the impressionable Hughes on the street and ask for some artistic advice. George would give his honest impression, only to discover that Rockwell had done just the opposite. It became a regular pattern, giving them countless hours of entertainment over the years.

Flat and Chat – May 21, 1949

The irritated tire-changer? Why, that’s artist George Hughes himself. The editors mused that he served as his own model because he was tired of waiting for Rockwell to insert him into a Post cover. Several Post cover artists lived near each other in Arlington, Vermont, and they used each other (and their families) as subjects. Rockwell had used fellow artists Atherton, Schaeffer and even himself as Post cover boys. Well, if you want something done, you’d better do it yourself.

Missed Exit – June 15, 1957

“High-speed pikes are wonderful inventions,” Post editors noted in 1957, “except for a few bugs that need to be ironed out, such as exit signs moving by too fast.” What do you do in this situation? One can imagine the conversation inside the blue convertible. We’d rather not.

Fork in the Road – July 7, 1956

Yogi Berra says, “when you come to a fork in the road, take it.” That advice isn’t helping the couple in this 1956 cover. He says “that way,” but no, she insists, “this way.” The editors suggested perhaps they should flip a coin. Or perhaps he should just let the wife navigate because “nobody can think clearly under a cap like that.” Editors are such wise guys.

Ticket for Roadster – April 27, 1957

If you drive a snappy Roadster, be careful with your speed. And if worse should come to worse and you do get pulled over, be sure it isn’t where there’s a group of snarky kids hanging out. Rough trip – not only costing in monetary terms, but in terms of mental anguish.

Gas Money – March 26, 1960

These boys had a bit of a problem. “Big Ron” gassed up the jalopy and is finding himself in the embarrassing position of being short on funds. His buddies are not coming up with the dough either and Lou (it says “Lou” on the attendant’s shirt) wants his $4.07 and he wants it now. Looks like Big Ron will have to call his dad, Bigger Ron, and hope for the best.

Out of Gas – September 2, 1961

Is there a worse scenario? Leave it to artist Hughes to find it. “The setting of this depressing encounter is not fifty miles from nowhere,” the editors noted. “This is nowhere.” A mile or two in either direction will take you to a car that’s out of gas. The unanswered question, of course, is how the heck did they get out of this one? One can only hope Big Ron got his gas money and happens by.

Don’t miss the featured summer road trips in the Jul/Aug 2010 issue of the Post. Subscribe here.

Classic Covers: The “Post”-Holiday

As we all know The Saturday Evening Post is famous for memorable holiday covers. But what about the “post”-holiday covers? After the many exciting days of anticipation and preparation, all we can say is, “Thank goodness that’s over!”

Classic Covers: A Salute to Teachers

We really feel sorry for this kid. An artist named Worth Brehm illustrated the March 19, 1910, cover, depicting a boy with a rather unflattering portrait of his teacher. Said schoolmaster is standing right behind him looking very much like a man one does not want to anger. And he looks really angry. With no principal’s office in those days, we can only imagine what happens next (although we’d rather not).

The teacher is obviously not happy about a slacking student on Robert Robinson’s October 1918 cover. This boy’s unpardonable sin is falling asleep and daydreaming in class. Boys in 1918 probably often dreamed of fighting in the Great War to end all wars. He might be safer “Over There,” judging from the look on the teacher’s face and the firmness with which she’s holding that ruler.

A kinder, gentler teacher emerges in Fanny Young Cory’s May 1906 cover. The charming schoolmarm is helping one of the pupils tie her hat, making sure each adorable kid is properly turned out to go home.

It isn’t hard to figure out what the mother is saying in Amos Sewell’s December 1959 cover. “How can someone as smart as Johnny bring home such poor grades? Why, the boy is the brightest youngster we have ever seen!” The weary teacher shows signs of having heard the story more than once before.

If you identify with artist George Hughes’ September 1948 cover, you may not want to admit that you were one of those clingy kids who threw a royal fit when dropped off that first day of school. Showing one more reason why her job is not easy, the teacher is kindly trying to wrench the traumatized little girl from Mommy, while the expressions on the other kids’ faces are everything from laughter to “oh, dear.” Artist Hughes was something of an expert, having five girls and “the one who is crying on the cover is, of course, mine.”

Our salute would not be complete without the classic teacher cover, Norman Rockwell’s Happy Birthday, Miss Jones. Just when the teacher thinks she’s had enough of cramming figures and words into unreceptive little minds, they do something like this: scrawl “Happy Birthday, Miss Jones” on the chalkboard. As we’ve often said, Rockwell is all about faces, and Jones’ face says it all.

The boy in Stevan Dohanos’ September 1946 is bringing the teacher flowers. These were actual students from the fifth grade of Bedford Elementary School in Westport, Connecticut. We love the editors’ note in this issue: “At one point the artist asked their teacher to brush her hair back a little more severely. When she came back from the cloakroom with the new hairdo, the kids raised such a clamor of disapproval that Dohanos had to yield to overwhelming public opinion and sketch her as they like to see her.” The lesson? Don’t mess with our teacher!

Gallery

Classic Covers: George Hughes, Signs of Summer

Seems like the lady of the house (or yard) can’t decide where the tree looks best. The cover from April 9, 1955, shows a weary laborer digging holes for a tree. That’s one tree and several holes. (Oh, and note the truck in the driveway.)

George Hughes (1907-1990) began his career with the Post illustrating Guy Gilpatric’s Glencannon stories and other seafaring fiction. A resident of Arlington, Vermont, he was a neighbor of such noted Post cover artists as Norman Rockwell, John Atherton, and Mead Schaeffer. Like Rockwell, Hughes believed in realist painting and insisted on working from actual settings. He spent an entire day learning how to properly place clothespins for his first Post cover of April 17, 1948, in which a mother hangs clothes as her son parades home, showing more dirt than the law should allow.

Hughes’ favorite theme was unforgettable family situations with which Post readers could readily identify. Hughes, who had five children, could easily relate to scenes such as Coming Up Roses, where another too-busy Mom notices her toddler pulling up roses. A Post favorite shows a mom taking a nice cold glass of lemonade to the hardworking boy mowing the lawn. Is this the quintessential 1950s cover or what? Shades of June Cleaver.

The Fork in the Road cover (July 7, 1956) displays another familiar Hughes theme: a humorous slant on relationships. Even on a lovely summer drive, man and wife disagree on which way to go. Adults seeking peace and quiet also appear in Hughes’ work, such as No Chance to be Alone, which portrays a couple enjoying a peaceful space at the beach—until a large, boisterous family discovers the same spot. In Sunday Visitors, Hughes captures a couple going back into the house to enjoy the Sunday paper after one group of after-church visitors leave … and another family comes up the walk. Sigh.

But what suggests summer better than the sight greeting the small bird watchers on the March 24, 1962 cover? No, not the bright red bird the guide is delighted to see, but over there, through the trees, on the other side of the water. Can it be? It is! The season’s first ice cream truck!