Partner J.C. Leyendecker
Queer Places:
Bryant Park Studios, 80 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018
Mount Tom, 48 Mt Tom Rd, New Rochelle, NY 10805, Stati Uniti
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 125 Central Ave, East Orange, NJ 07018
Born
three years apart in Montabaur, Germany,
Joseph Christian (known as Joe or J. C.) and
Franz Xavier (known as Frank
or F. X.) Leyendecker immigrated with their family to Chicago in 1874. Both
displayed a talent for art and studied at the Chicago Art Institute and in
Paris at the Académie Julian. Success was theirs almost immediately, and in
1900 they moved to New York where they set up shop in the Bryant Park
Studios. One day in 1903, a young Ontarian named Charles Allwood Beach (November 17, 1881 – October 16, 1954) came
looking for work and discovered his destiny. Beach would become not only the
main inspiration for the Arrow Collar Man but also the studio’s factotum and
Joe’s life partner.
Today the artistic and personal partnership of Joe Leyendecker and Charles
Beach is being acknowledged and celebrated by PVH Corp., a sponsor of NYC
PrideFest 2017, whose portfolio of brands includes Calvin Klein, Tommy
Hilfiger, and Arrow. With the help of PVH Historian Suzanne E. Shapiro, the
Arrow Collar Man is coming out of the closet.
“Personally I think it's a fantastic time for us to celebrate the true
story of the Arrow Collar Man,” says Shapiro. “Recent scholarly publications,
like Laurence Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler’s excellent biography, have
explored the artistic significance of Leyendecker's sexuality and his
long-term relationship with Charles Beach, yet there hadn't been an
appropriate forum for shedding light on Leyendecker's fascinating personal
story from a corporate point of view. In earlier decades, people just wouldn't
have had these conversations, and there's also questionable relevance—so what
if the Arrow Collar Man and his creator were gay? But I think socially
conscious historians are recognizing a need to tell these stories that can
really matter to the LGBTQ community and society as a whole.” Raise that
rainbow flag.
My published books:
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The Courier-News
(Bridgewater, New Jersey)
24 Jun 1954, Thu • Main Edition • Page 36