A&M 3097Leslie Thrasher, Illustrator, Papers, 1912-1987 A&M 3097Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History CenterWest Virginia and Regional History Center

1549 University Ave. P.O. Box 6069 Morgantown, WV 26506-6069Business Number: 304-293-3536wvrhcref@westvirginia.libanswers.comURL:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-06-18 13:15:58 -0400.Description is written in: English, Latin script.Describing Archives: A Content Standard West Virginia and Regional History Center Leslie Thrasher, Illustrator, Papers Thrasher, Leslie A&M 3097 Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key /repositories/2/resources/1282 0.29 Linear Feet Summary: 3 1/2 in. (2 reels of microfilm, 1.75 in. each) 1912-1987 Correspondence, sketches, illustrations and papers of a magazine illustrator, Leslie Thrasher (1889-1936) originally from Piedmont, WV (on microfilm). Best known for the humor in his illustrations, his career started in 1912 after he had finished attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Ecole de Grande Chaumiere in Paris. During World War I he was part of the camouflage regiment of the 40th. Engineers, U. S. Army, serving in France where he was wounded by poison gas at the battle of Belleau Wood. At the height of his career in the 1920s and 1930s he did many magazine covers for the Saturday Evening Post and Liberty Magazine as well as advertisements for Fisk Tire and Cream of Wheat among others. Thrasher is often compared as an artist to his rival and friend Norman Rockwell and more than likely would have been as famous as Rockwell if he had not died in 1936 as a result of an accidental fire at his home on Long Island, NY. He is also noted for often using his hometown scenes, relatives and friends as models for his illustrations. Most of the correspondence is that of his daughter, the donor, and involves exhibits and sales of his art. Addendum of 2021-04-16 includes one complete copy of "The Saturday Evening Post" of 3 October 1936 featuring a cover with artwork by Leslie Thrasher (in flat storage box). West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: West Virginia & Regional History Center English . Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

 Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Leslie Thrasher, Illustrator, Papers, A&M 3097, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

 Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

 Piedmont (W. Va.) Art and artists Thrasher, Leslie