Al Parker Collection, 1920-1985 | MGHL Dowd Modern Graphic History Library

By Special Collections Staff

Printer-friendly |

Collection Overview

Title: Al Parker Collection, 1920-1985

Predominant Dates:(bulk 1930 - 1975)

ID: MGHL/mghl00002

Primary Creator: Parker, Alfred, 1906-1985

Extent: 40.0 Linear Feet

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into eleven series as follows:

Series 1: Personal and Professional Development

Series 2: Artist Model Photographs

Series 3: Artist Model and Parker Family Negatives, Slides, and Transparencies Series 4: Personal and Professional Development

Series 5: Famous Artist School Lesson Books

Series 6: Artwork Reproduced from Magazines (Tear Sheets, Complete Issues, Proofs)

Series 7: Original Works of Art on Board

Series 8: Original Works of Art on Paper

Series 9: Original Works of Art (Oversized)

Series 10: Original Works of Art (Framed)

Series 11: Original Works of Art by Other Artists

Date Acquired: 00/00/2003. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Magazine illustration--20th century, Parker, Alfred, 1906-1985, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The collection includes material relating to Al Parker's personal and professional development, photographs of artist models, original artwork, and artwork reproduced from magazines.

Collection Historical Note

Alfred Charles Parker was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1906 and studied at Washington University’s School of Fine Arts from 1923 to 1928. After opening a fledgling advertising agency with fellow students and beginning to work for national magazines, Parker moved to New York City in 1935. A cover illustration for House Beautiful won a national competition and garnered Parker jobs producing illustrations and covers for Chatelaine, Collier’s, Women’s Home Companion, and Ladies’ Home Journal.

In December of 1938, Parker began a thirteen-year stint of illustrating a series of fifty hugely popular “Mother and Daughter” covers for the Ladies Home Journal: dressed alike and paired in an evocatively designed action scene, the first cover created an overnight fashion sensation. Successive covers enjoyed unrivaled appeal, chronicling the evolution of an idealized American family as it prepared for war, homecoming, and rebirth (i.e., the baby boom). Parker was soon illustrating for countless magazines including Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, McCall’s, The Saturday Evening Post, Sports Illustrated, Pictorial Review, Town and County, and Vogue, constantly reinventing his endlessly snappy style and thematic approach, while experimenting with new media in order to keep his throngs of imitators stymied. In cooperation with the art director, he secretly illustrated an entire issue of Cosmopolitan employing different pseudonyms, styles, and media for each story.

Parker is one of the select few illustrators whose personal touch immediately jumps out at the viewer, through crisp rendering and compositions not only bold, but positively idiosyncratic. Known as the Dean of Illustrators, Parker was one of the founding faculty members for the Famous Artists School and was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame in 1965.

For additional information see The Illustrator in America 1860-2000, by Walt Reed, New York: The Society of Illustrators, 2001.

Subject/Index Terms

Magazine illustration--20th century
Parker, Alfred, 1906-1985
Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts

Administrative Information

Repository: MGHL Dowd Modern Graphic History Library

Accruals: There are no accruals.

Access Restrictions: There are no restrictions to access.

Use Restrictions:

Some restrictions, please contact the Modern Graphic History Library Curator at (314) 935-7741 or spec@wumail.wustl.edu.

Users of the collection must read and abide by the Materials Use Policies for Special Collections.

Users of the collections who wish to use items from this collection, in whole or in part, in any form of publication (as defined in the form) must sign and submit to the Washington University Department of Special Collections a hard copy of the Notification of intent to publish Modern Graphic History Library materials form.

All publication not covered by fair use restricted to those who have permission of the copyright holder.

Acquisition Method: The collection was donated to the University Archives by Kit Parker, Al Parker's son, in 2003. It was later transferred to the Modern Graphic History Library.

Related Materials: The Charles Craver Collection contains tear sheets of Al Parker's work. The Dowd Modern Graphic History Library Artwork Collection contains original artwork by Al Parker.

Related Publications:

Auad, Manuel, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, David Apatoff, Leif Peng, and Alfred Parker, eds. Al Parker: Illustrator, Innovator. San Francisco, Calif: Auad Publishing, 2014.

Ermoyan, Arpi. Famous American Illustrators. New York: Published for the Society of Illustrators by Rotovision, SA; Watson-Guptill Publications, 1997.

Miller, Arthur, and Alfred Parker. Jane’s Blanket. 1st Crowell-Collier Press ed. Modern Masters Books for Children. New York: Crowell-Collier Press, 1963.

Parker, Alfred. Ephemeral Beauty: Al Parker and the American Women’s Magazine 1940-1960. Stockbridge, Mass: Norman Rockwell Museum, 2007.

Parker, Alfred. How I Make a Picture. Westport, Conn: Institute of Commercial Art, 1949.

Preferred Citation: Al Parker Collection, Washington University Libraries, Department of Special Collections

Processing Information:

This collection was processed by Jay Kempen and revised by University Archives staff in September 2006 and June 2007.

The original artwork in this collection was rehoused by Andrea Degener in March 2017.

Finding Aid Revision History:

This finding aid was entered into Archon by Jolie Braun in July 2012.

This finding aid was updated by Andrea Degener in March 2017.

This finding aid was updated by Andrea Degener in May 2018.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Personal and Professional Development],
[Series 2: Artist Model Photographs],
[Series 3: Artist Model and Parker Family Negatives, Slides, and Transparencies],
[Series 4: Personal and Professional Development (Unusual and Variously Sized Formats)],
[Series 5: Famous Artist School Lesson Books],
[Series 6: Art Work Reproduced from Magazines (includes cut issues, complete issues, and proofs)],
[Series 7: Original Works of Art on Board],
[Series 8: Original Works of Art on Paper],
[Series 9: Original Works of Art, Oversized],
[Series 10: Original Works of Art (Framed)],
[Series 11: Original Works of Art by Other Artists],
[All]

Series 6: Art Work Reproduced from Magazines (includes cut issues, complete issues, and proofs)

This is arranged alphabetically by magazine title, then chronologically.

Box 37

Folder 1: American Airlines (Cut Issues), various dates.
Folder 2: American Airlines (Cut Issues), various dates.
Folder 3: American Airlines (Cut Issues), various dates.

Box 38

Folder 1: American Magazine (Cut Issues), September 1935 - July 1936.
Folder 2: American Magazine (Cut Issues), September 1937 and undated.

Box 39

Folder 1: Good Housekeeping (Cut Issues), July 1947 - September 1955.
Folder 2: Good Housekeeping (Cut Issues), November 1955 - September 1956.
Folder 3: Good Housekeeping (Cut Issues), November 1956 - October 1959.
Folder 4: Good Housekeeping (Cut Issues), undated.

Box 40

Folder 1: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1933-1936.
Folder 2: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1937-1938.

Box 41

Folder 1: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues and Includes AL PARKER'S FIRST MOTHER/DAUTHER GENRE COVER), 1939.
Folder 2: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1940.
Folder 3: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1941.

Box 42

Folder 1: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1942.
Folder 2: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1943.
Folder 3: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1944.

Box 43

Folder 1: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1945.
Folder 2: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1946.
Folder 3: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues)., 1947-1949.

Box 44

Folder 1: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1950.
Folder 2: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1951.
Folder 3: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1952-1954.
Folder 4: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues), 1956-1959.
Folder 5: Ladies Home Journal (Cut Issues)., 1960-1961;1965.

Box 45

Folder 1: McCall's (Cut Issues), 1933-1938.
Folder 2: McCall's (Cut Issues), 1939-1952.
Folder 3: McCall's (Cut Issues)., 1953 - June 1958.
Folder 4: McCall's (Cut Issues), July 1958 - 1961; undated.

Box 46

Folder 1: Pictorial Review (Cut Issues), undated.

Box 47

Folder 1: Saturday Evening Post (Cut Issues), circa 1930; 1944-1946; 1950-1952; undated.

Box 48

Folder 1: Woman's Home Companion (Cut Issues), 1935-1938.
Folder 2: Woman's Home Companion (Cut Issues), 1939-1941.
Folder 3: Woman's Home Companion (Cut Issues), undated.

Box 49

Folder 1: American Weekly (Cut Issues), 1959-1960.
Folder 2: Chatelaine (Cut Issues), 1933-1934.
Folder 3: Collier's (Cut Issues), 1933; 1935-1937.
Folder 4: Cosmopolitan (Cut Issues), 1948-1949; 1952 -1955; 1959; 1967-1968.
Folder 5: Country Home Magazine (Cut Issues), 1938.
Folder 6: House Beautiful (Cut Issue and FIRST AL PARKER COVER), 1930.
Folder 7: Household Magazine (Cut Issues), 1934-1935.
Folder 8: Maclean's Magazine (Cut Issues)., 1933.
Folder 9: Medical Times (Cut Issue), 1966.
Folder 10: Redbook (Cut Issues), 1960; [1968]; 1969; undated.
Folder 11: Seventeen (Cut Issue), undated.
Folder 12: Town and Country (Cut Issue), 1950; 1952; 1954.
Folder 13: Vogue (Cut Issue), 1936; undated.
Folder 14: Misc. Magazine Advertisements (Cut Issue), 1920s-1930s.

Box 50

Folder 1: Proofs (American Airlines [Associated with Saturday Evening Post]), various dates.
Folder 2: Proofs (Chase and Sanborn Coffee]), undated.
Folder 3: Proofs (Cosmopolitan), various dates.
Folder 4: Proofs (Ladies Home Journal), various dates.
Folder 5: Proofs (McCall's), various dates.
Folder 6: Proofs (Saturday Evening Post), various dates.
Folder 7: Proofs (Town and Country), undated.
Folder 8: Proofs (Woman's Home Companion [with Campbell’s Soup]), undated.
Folder 9: Proofs (Unidentified), undated.

Box 51

Folder 1: Boys' Life (Cover), November 1965.
Folder 2: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 32+), April 1968.
Folder 3: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 30+), November 1968.
Folder 4: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, cover and pages 8+), February 1973.
Folder 5: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 30+), December 1973.
Folder 6: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 32+), May 1974.
Folder 7: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 34+), October 1974.
Folder 8: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 26+), June 1975.
Folder 9: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 26+), October 1975.
Folder 10: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 34+), November 1975.
Folder 11: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 30+), December 1975.
Folder 12: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, cover), July 1977.
Folder 13: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 30+), December 1978.
Folder 14: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 30+), February 1979.
Folder 15: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, cover), February 1980.
Folder 16: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, cover), December 1980.
Folder 17: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 36+), September 1982.
Folder 18: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 38+), December 1982.
Folder 19: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, cover), July 1983.
Folder 20: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, cover), September 1983.
Folder 21: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, pages 26+), December 1984.
Folder 22: Boys' Life (Complete Issue, cover), February 1985.

Box 52

Folder 1: Communication Arts (Complete Issue, cover), May/June 1977.
Folder 2: Cosmopolitan (Complete Issue, cover), January 1949.
Folder 3: Cosmopolitan (Complete Issue, cover and pages 48+), October 1953.
Folder 4: Cosmopolitan (Complete Issue, pages 98+), November 1962.
Folder 5: Cosmopolitan (Complete Issue, pages 96+), January 1964.
Folder 6: Cosmopolitan (Complete Issue, pages 100+), December 1964.
Folder 7: Cosmopolitan (Complete Issue, pages 112+), September 1966.
Folder 8: Cosmopolitan (Complete Issue, pages 110+), February 1967.

Box 53

Folder 1: Household Magazine (Complete Issue, pages 56-30 sic), February 1936.
Folder 2: Lithopinion 4 (Complete Issue, cover and pages 74+), 1966.
Folder 3: Lithopinion 8 (Complete Issue, pages 13-35 AL PARKER EXHIBIT), 1967.
Folder 4: Lithopinion 20 (Complete Issue, pages 50+), 1970.
Folder 5: Saturday Evening Post (Complete Issue, pages 76-83). October 23, 1965.
Folder 6: Sports Illustrated (Complete Issue, pages 44-53), May 11, 1964.
Folder 7: Women's Day (Complete Issue, pages 34-38 and 78), December 1966.
Folder 8: TV Guide (Complete Issue, cover), April 1964.
Folder 9: TV Guide (Complete Issue, cover), July 1965.
Folder 10: TV Guide (Complete Issue, cover), March 1971.
Folder 11: TV Guide (Complete Issue, cover). June 1971.
Folder 12: TV Guide (Cut covers), undated.