Little Engines That Burn Up Energy

Above: Detail

Above: Full view of oil painting

A kinetic and delightful winter snow scene by Edward Vincent Brewer created in 1925 for a Cream of Wheat Print ad titled "Little Engines That Burn Up Energy." This oil on canvas was carefully archived for decades at the now-defunct Cream of Wheat factory in Northeast Minneapolis, MN. Work is beautifully framed and in a pristine state of preservation.

Above: Verso labels

Above: The artist's signature

Above: Framed view of painting in wide profile new gallery frame

Above: Tear sheet included in sale

Each original piece of artwork used in Cream of Wheat advertising was carefully stored and archived at the Cream of Wheat headquarters in northeast Minneapolis. The unusual care taken to protect this thorough, well-maintained archive is testament to the foresight of Emery Mapes, who presided over the Cream of Wheat advertising campaign. Most advertising illustration in the early 20th century was considered expendable, and was quickly destroyed, lost or thrown away. Mapes insisted upon treating the art as art, and employed the finest talents working as illustrators to help developed Cream of Wheat’s folksy nostalgic iconography. Counted among the artists Mapes recruited are N.C. Wyeth, Jessie Willcox Smith, Phillip Goodwin, J.C. Leyendecker, James Montgomery Flagg and Edward V. Brewer. With the help of this stable of talent, the Cream of Wheat advertising campaign came to define some of the most enduring visions of American hearth and home.