The dandy and his belle are the creation of Hogarth, Jr. They had made their debut some months earlier, in the August 1922 issue of Vanity Fair, in Hogarth, Jr’s full-page illustration for the Contents section. Hogarth, Jr. is the nom de plume used by Rockwell Kent on his ink drawings for stylish publications of the day. Kent, who wanted to protect his growing prominence as a respected landscape painter, was happy to be paid for his humorous illustrations, but he didn’t want to be known for them. His artistic double life was so successful that many contemporary Kentophiles are still unaware of the artist’s comedic identity.
We asked our typographic guru, Allan Haley, whether he thought the “Vanity Fair” in the banner is a deco typeface, and he promptly responded: “It’s not a typeface — it’s hand-drawn. The ‘masthead’ is definitely part of the cover illustration. I did do a little research and found that this was quite common, at least in the ’20s and ’30s.” (Google has it covered for us here.)
Kent was an accomplished draftsman, masterfully incorporating his own lettering in book jackets and bookplates. (Felt & Wire showcased two volumes of Kent’s bookplates and marks here.) In the case of this cover for Vanity Fair, however, Kent scholar and independent curator Jake Wien surmises, “I would wager that Kent left the scroll at the top unlettered, leaving that to the art department at Vanity Fair. The chosen ‘script’ is unlike anything I have ever seen by Rockwell Kent.”
Wien adds, “In 1924, Kent did a series of astrological illustrations for LIFE magazine. He left a blank panel in the middle, where the magazine would have set the text of the month’s horoscope. If you look here, you can see Kent’s designs for June, #41, and August, #42.”
It makes us merry to have Felt & Wire friends who tell us these things. Have a dandy month!
