The Letter Home
Date1918
Artist
Frank Xavier Leyendecker
(American illustrator, 1878–1924)
Illustration CitationCover for The Country Gentleman, February 23, 1918
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions27 1/4 × 22 1/4 in. (69.2 × 56.5 cm)
frame: 31 7/8 × 26 7/8 × 1 3/4 in. (81 × 68.3 × 4.4 cm)
frame: 31 7/8 × 26 7/8 × 1 3/4 in. (81 × 68.3 × 4.4 cm)
Credit LineF. V. du Pont Acquisition Fund, 1983
Object number1983-128
On View
On viewClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextAlthough less famous than his older brother Joseph Christian, Francis Xavier Leyendecker had a prolific career, especially as a cover artist for general interest magazines such as The Country Gentleman. This soldier's letter is dated November 1917, just a month after American "doughboys" joined French fighting forces at the front. In spare but still clean surroundings, and in a uniform unmarked by combat, he conjures up his mother's presence as he begins to write to her.
