Howard Chandler Christy

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)