John Cecil Clay, 1875-1930, was an American illustrator known for genre and caricature paintings.

Clay was born in Ronceverte, West Virginia to a long-time Southern family. He was a student of Henry Siddons Mowbray

Henry Siddons Mowbray

Henry Siddons Mowbray was an American artist.-Biography:He was born of English parents at Alexandria, Egypt. His father, George M. Mowbray, was an expert in explosives. Left an orphan, the son was taken to America by an uncle, who settled at North Adams, Massachusetts...

 at the Art Students League of New York

Art Students League of New York

The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...

 and had a graphic style that was suited to illustration. A recurring subject was pretty young women. During his life he worked for Life

Life (magazine)

Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....

and Frank Leslie

Frank Leslie

Frank Leslie was an English-born American engraver, illustrator, and publisher of family periodicals.-English origins:...

's Popular Monthly.

He was a member of Society of Illustrators and was represented at the St. Louis Exposition-World's Fair 1904. Apart from the above mentioned magazines he also worked as an illustrator for The Century Magazine

The Century Magazine

The Century Magazine was first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City as a successor to Scribner's Monthly Magazine...

, Saturday Evening Post and Good Housekeeping

Good Housekeeping

Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...

.