Mead Schaeffer (1898-1980) was one of the classic illustrators from the golden age of American illustration. He illustrated such well known books as
Moby Dick,
The Count of Monte Cristo and
Les Miserables. He also worked for top magazines such as
The Saturday Evening Post,
The Ladies Home Journal and
Cosmopolitan.
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| The Count of Monte Cristo from the Kelly Collection of American Illustration |
Like other top illustrators of the period, Schaeffer was talented, resourceful and dedicated to his craft. Here are some previously unpublished photographs of Schaeffer dressing up in costumes and posing for his paintings:
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| from the Schaeffer family scrapbooks |
If you have seen Schaeffer's work reproduced in books, it may have looked something like this, due to the printing technology of the day:
But if you take a closer look at the original painting, you begin to see the true nature of Schaeffer's talent:
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| from the Kelly Collection of American Illustration |
Modern reproduction capabilities make Schaeffer a very different experience. He is well worth a closer look.
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