Imitation Is The Best Compliment

Al Parker (1906-1985) defined the progressive look and feel of published imagery at a time of sweeping change, when Americans, emerging from the great depression and War, sought symbols of hope and redemption on the pages of our nation’s periodicals. His innovative modernist artworks created for mass-appeal women’s magazines and their advertisers captivated upwardly mobile mid-twentieth century readers, reflecting and profoundly influencing the values and aspirations of American women and their families during the post-war era. 

Parker is credited with creating a new school of illustration and was much imitated. To distinguish himself from his imitators, he worked in a variety of styles, themes, and media. Examples range from children's crayons to acrylics. He sold illustrations to Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, McCall's, The Saturday Evening Post, Sports Illustrated, Town and Country, and Vogue. A stamp commemorating his art was issued by the United States Postal Service in 2001 as part of the American Illustrators Issue series. 

Al Parker (1906-85)

 

Al Parker was an innovative, influential modernist illustrator with mass appeal in women’s magazines. He emerged in the mid-1930s with is move to NYC and established a vibrant visual vocabulary for the new suburban life so desired in the aftermath of the Depression. More graphic and less detailed than the paintings of the influential Norman Rockwell, Parker’s stylish compositions were sought after by editors and art directors for their contemporary freshness. Parker is credited with creating a new school of illustration and was much imitated. To distinguish himself from his imitators, he worked in a variety of styles, themes and media, from children's crayons to acrylics. In cooperation with the magazine's art director, he secretly provided every illustration in an issue of Cosmopolitan, using different pseudonyms, styles and mediums for each story.

See additional Al Parker samples.