Fadeaway.

For an index of articles on art illustrators, click here.

One of the special artists of the golden age of American illustration was Coles Phillips (1880-1927), remembered for his ‘Fadeaway’ images where the model’s dress would be the same color as the background, hence ‘Fadeaway’. A contemporary of J C Leyendecker his illustrations are distinguished by the lovely young women used to sell dresses, cosmetics, kitchen hardware, you name it. And those images are exquisite:

Cast your net and marry well ….

My favorite. An absolute stunner.

An example of non-Fadeaway art, still striking.

I can find only one monograph of his work out there:

Click the image for Amazon.

Phillips’s work is obviously not aimed at the grubby masses, yearning to breathe free (or, at least, hoping for a cheap seat in the bleachers). These women have gone the way of true capitalists, and have married well.

While 250 would have been more like it, the slim book has 83 beautifully reproduced full page images of Phillips’s work and is highly recommended for all lovers of great illustration.

For an index of articles on art illustrators, click here.