A spirited Thanksgiving holiday advertising illustration by John G. Scott. This original gouache was commissioned by the Cream of Wheat company for their 1923 holiday promotion. The image depicts a pair of cherubic young pilgrims with plenty to be thankful for. This has a J.C. Leyendecker inspired sensibility, and is nicely matted and framed. The work comes with a printed full page tear sheet of published art. Gouache is nicely matted and professionally framed in a fine gallery wood frame.

Above: Framed and matted in handsome gallery frame

We recently acquired a large collection of original works from this storied archive. Seldom do original artworks come on the market that offer the chance to own a part of history, and we are delighted to be able to offer them.

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.