Howard Chandler Christy
- Born
- Morgan County, Ohio, United States
- Nationalities
- American
- Biography
Illustrator and portrait painter who created the "Christy Girl," an idealized American woman and successor to the "Gibson Girl." The "Christy Girl" appeared in numerous posters and magazine illustrations. His notable portraits included Amelia Earhart, Eddie Rickenbacker and Calvin Coolidge.
Joan Stahl American Artists in Photographic Portraits from the Peter A. Juley & Son Collection (Washington, D.C. and Mineola, New York: National Museum of American Art and Dover Publications, Inc., 1995)
- Artist Biography
Howard Chandler Christy began his career in the visual arts as a student of painting at the National Academy of Design in New York City, eventually turning chiefly to illustration. His work appeared in a number of magazines and books. These illustrations, as well as his sketches of the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War, earned Christy considerable public recognition and popularity. Perhaps his most enduring image is the famous "Christy girl," the idealized American woman of the 1910s and early 1920s. Among the works in which she was featured were World War I posters designed to encourage young men to enlist.
Christy also worked extensively in portraiture, producing the likenesses of important figures ranging from politicians to entertainers and members of high society. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions during and after his lifetime.
Therese Thau Heyman Posters American Style (New York and Washington, D.C.: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., in association with the National Museum of American Art, 1998)