Meet Carl Erickson, the pioneering illustrator known for his work for Vogue and Coty cosmetics right after the turn of the century. Living between New York and Paris, Erickson made a name for himself by painting and drawing the way a woman deftly applied kohl liner above her lashes, or the look of another lady lining her lips with red lipstick while glancing into a delicate gold mirror.
Fashion illustrator and advertisement illustrator “Eric” (as he signed his pieces) was born in 1891 in the USA, to Swedish parents. The stunning detail portrayed in some of the illustrations by Erickson were achieved only by using live models and having them sit static for long periods of time. What makes Erickson’s depictions so anomalous, however, is the calligraphic style stokes, and bleeding colors. This makes his work related to beauty, makeup and cosmetics particularly stand out. Who better to capture the texture of a chalky lipstick or a powder-y eyeshadow than an artist so committed to live, moving color and bold line work?
It turns out, Erickson was also in demand for his more traditional portraits, too. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth II, Frank Sinatra, and Gertrude Stein are just a few of the very public figures that the artist painted.
Here, our top five favorite Carl Erickson illustrations.
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