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Home > Artists > Mead Schaeffer

Mead Schaeffer

Born: July 15, 1898 | Died: November 6, 1980

Mead Schaeffer

Biography

Mead Schaeffer (1898-1980) was born in Freedom Plains, NY and grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. The son of a Presbyterian minister, he called himself a grandchild of Howard Pyle. He studied at Pratt Institute and then with Dean Cornwell, a pupil of Harvey Dunn. From this educational lineage, Schaeffer developed his talent in the finest tradition of the Brandywine School. His early illustrations of romance and adventures stories were characterized by a painterly technique with color laid down in generous and satisfying strokes.

On September 17, 1921, he married fellow student, Elizabeth Wilson Sawyers, and for fifty-three years, she assisted him as photographer, travel companion, business manager, and mentor. She was, as Schaeffer touchingly phrases it, “My workmate, playmate, my love.” They had two daughters. Schaeffer’s fascination with the Golden Age of Illustration fueled his boundless energy and capacious output.

For years he illustrated one or two books and approximately twenty magazine serials annually. His assignments took him all over the world to capture the correct costumes and moods for his wonderful paintings. He became one of the most sought after and highest paid illustrators in the world. He illustrated sixteen classics for Dodd, Mead Company including Moby Dick, Typee, Omoo, Les Miserables, The Cruise of the Cachalot, Tom Cringle’s Log, Sans Famille, and The Count of Monte Cristo. He also illustrated for big periodicals like McCall’s, Cosmopolitan, The Woman’s Home Companion, American Magazine, and of course, The Saturday Evening Post.

Either by coincidence or because of his proximity to Norman Rockwell, once in Vermont, Schaeffer altered his method and choice of subject. Abandoning images of romance and exaggerated sentiment, he now turned to painting real places and people, placing them in stories he created himself. Like Rockwell, he now sought authenticity and embraced the kind of reportorial illustration assignments that were part of Ken Stuart’s vision for The Saturday Evening Post. A much more imagination-based artist, Schaeffer never worked from photos, although he relied on models for painting clothes. His faces were painted from his imagination. He could use any model, and when he began using a camera, he felt his work suffered. “The camera has everything else, except what you want,” Schaeffer said. An emotional painter, he needed that “…something about a real person…” to inspire him.

At the outset of World War II, Mead Schaeffer and Rockwell set out together from Arlington, Vermont, where they had their studios, to Washington, D.C. to see how they could contribute to the war effort. Rockwell brought some sketches for the proposed Four Freedoms paintings, and Schaeffer had a handful of sketches of our fighting men in action. No funds were available for the projects in Washington; on their trip home to Vermont, they made a stop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to see Ben Hibbs of the Post. He liked their ideas and commissioned them to develop the paintings for magazine covers. Schaeffer’s research and careful attention to detail, combined with his command of the medium, instinctive sense of balance, light, texture, and above all, the tension captured in the action combined to make an outstanding Armed Forces Commemorative series.

Schaeffer then travelled all over the United States, producing more covers for the Post capturing the unique qualities of each state. By the time Schaeffer had done over 5,000 paintings, the unremitting pressures took their toll. Elizabeth cancelled all commitments and took a well-deserved rest. Schaeffer enjoyed his favorite pastime, fishing, and slowly started to paint again. Sadly in 1980, at the age of 82, Mead passed away of a heart attack while having lunch at the Society of Illustrators on East 63rd Street in New York City.

Illustrations by Mead Schaeffer

Forbidden LoverMeredith Corporationhttps://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/forbidden-lover
Tom Cringle’s LogDodd, Mead and Company, NYhttps://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/tom-cringles-log
Lone SoldierCurtis Publishinghttps://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/lone-soldier
The Fish are JumpingCurtis Publishinghttps://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/the-fish-are-jumping
The Black BuccaneerMeader, Harcourt Brace and Co., NYhttps://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/the-black-buccaneer
The Count of Monte CristoDodd Mead & Company, NYhttps://www.illustrationhistory.org/illustrations/the-count-of-monte-cristo

Additional Resources

  • Yesterday’s Papers
  • Masters of the Golden Age: Harvey Dunn and His Students
  • “The Illustrator in America, 1860-2000,” by Walt Reed
  • Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators
  • Brandywine River Museum

Bibliography

Dumas, Alexandre and Mead Schaeffer. The Count of Monte Cristo. London, England, G.G. Harrap & Co., 1929.

Hugo, Victor and Mead Schaeffer. Les Misérables. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1900.

Reed, Walt. The Illustrator in America, 1860-2000. New York: Society of Illustrators, 2001.

Russell, William Clark and Mead Schaeffer. The Wreck of the Grosvenor. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1923.

Tracy, Louis and Mead Schaeffer. The Wings of Morning. New York: Edward J. Clode, 1924.

Wagner, Margaret E. Maxfield Parrish and the Illustrators of the Golden Age. San Francisco, CA: Pomegranate, 2000.

Genres
  • Advertising
    • Corporate
    • Political and Public Service
    • Product
    • Self-Promotion
  • Books
    • Children’s Books
    • Cover Art
    • Interior Illustration
  • Cartooning
    • Advertising
    • Caricature
    • Political and Editorial
    • Sports
    • Spot
  • Comics
    • Comic Books
      • Manga
    • Comic Strips
  • Decorative & Applied Illustration
    • Info Graphics
    • Murals
    • Portraiture
  • Fantasy
    • Adventure
    • Fairy Tales and Fables
    • Mythology
  • Fashion
    • Advertising
    • Design
  • Graphic Novels
    • Fiction
    • Non-Fiction
    • Visual Memoir and Autobiography
  • Internet Illustration
    • Web Comics
    • Website Illustration
  • Magazine
    • Cover Art
    • Story Illustration
  • Moving Image
    • Animation
    • Concept Art
    • Storyboard
    • Video Game Design
  • Newspaper
  • Non-Commissioned Work
  • Poster
    • Event (Promotional)
    • Film
    • Political
    • Propaganda
    • Travel
  • Product Illustration
    • Album/CD
    • Calendars
    • DVD/VHS/Videogame
    • Greeting Cards
    • Packaging
    • Paper Dolls
    • Postage Stamps
  • Pulp Illustration
    • Pinup Art
    • Pulp Magazines
  • Science Fiction
    • Creatures
    • Outer Space
    • Technology
  • Technical
    • Anatomy
    • Archaeological
    • Architecture
    • Courtroom Drawings
    • Horticulture
    • Mechanical
    • Natural History
Global Perspectives
  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia
RELATED ARTISTS
  • John Atherton John Atherton
  • Dan Content Dan Content
  • Felix Octavius Carr Darley Felix Octavius Carr Darley
  • Harvey Dunn Harvey Dunn
  • Everett Raymond Kinstler Everett Raymond Kinstler
  • Thomas Guernsey Moore Thomas Guernsey Moore
  • Howard Pyle Howard Pyle
  • Norman Rockwell Norman Rockwell
  • Dan Smith Dan Smith
  • N.C. Wyeth N.C. Wyeth
Related Time Periods
  • The Decade 1910-1920 The Decade 1910-1920
  • The Decade 1920-1930 The Decade 1920-1930
  • The Decade 1930-1940 The Decade 1930-1940
  • The Decade 1940-1950 The Decade 1940-1950
  • The Decade 1950-1960 The Decade 1950-1960
  • The Decade 1960-1970 The Decade 1960-1970
  • The Decade 1970-1980 The Decade 1970-1980

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"The great band of illustrators have shown us to ourselves and I am proud to be among their company."
- Norman Rockwell

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