Mead Schaeffer
Encyclopedia
Mead Schaeffer was an American illustrator from the early to mid-twentieth century. He lived in New Rochelle
, New York
, a community favored by artists, illustrators and writers from the period, where he was a neighbor and personal friend of Norman Rockwell
. Mead Schaeffer and his family often posed as models for many of Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post illustrations and paintings.
Schaeffer was born in Freedom Plains, New York, in 1898, and grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. Schaeffer enrolled in the Pratt Institute
in 1916, where he was influenced by Harvey Dunn, who also critiqued many of Schaeffer's projects. While a student at Pratt, Scaheffer illustrated the first of seven 'Golden Boy' books authored by L.P. Wyman.
At age 24, he was hired to illustrate a series of books for publisher Dodd-Mead, including Moby Dick, Typee, and Omoo by Herman Melville, The Counte of Monte Christo, and Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Schaeffer's career from 1922 and 1930 focused on these illustrations for classic novels.
For the next two decades, Schaeffer abandoned illustrating adventure novels in favors of focusing on real people in real settings. During this time period, Schaeffer received commissions from magazines: Good Housekeeping, McCall's, the Saturday Evening Post, The Ladies Home Journal, Country Gentleman, and Cosmopolitan. After this period focusing on realistic depictions of every-day American life, Schaeffer focused on depictions of American military personnel during World War II.
Schaeffer retired and lived the rest of his life in Vermont. He died in 1980.
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, a community favored by artists, illustrators and writers from the period, where he was a neighbor and personal friend of Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
. Mead Schaeffer and his family often posed as models for many of Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post illustrations and paintings.
Schaeffer was born in Freedom Plains, New York, in 1898, and grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. Schaeffer enrolled in the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in 1916, where he was influenced by Harvey Dunn, who also critiqued many of Schaeffer's projects. While a student at Pratt, Scaheffer illustrated the first of seven 'Golden Boy' books authored by L.P. Wyman.
At age 24, he was hired to illustrate a series of books for publisher Dodd-Mead, including Moby Dick, Typee, and Omoo by Herman Melville, The Counte of Monte Christo, and Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Schaeffer's career from 1922 and 1930 focused on these illustrations for classic novels.
For the next two decades, Schaeffer abandoned illustrating adventure novels in favors of focusing on real people in real settings. During this time period, Schaeffer received commissions from magazines: Good Housekeeping, McCall's, the Saturday Evening Post, The Ladies Home Journal, Country Gentleman, and Cosmopolitan. After this period focusing on realistic depictions of every-day American life, Schaeffer focused on depictions of American military personnel during World War II.
Schaeffer retired and lived the rest of his life in Vermont. He died in 1980.