John E. Sheridan

Who was John E. Sheridan?

John E. Sheridan was an illustrator well known in his lifetime for his cover art for The Saturday Evening Post, his illustrations for Collier's Weekly and Ladies' Home Journal, and his commercial advertisements. His obituary in The New York Times states that he "was credited with the idea of using posters to advertise college sports."

Sheridan attended Georgetown University in the late 1890s, graduating in 1901.

During World War I, he created many patriotic posters in support of the United States' war effort as part of the committee of artists that also included Charles Dana Gibson and James Montgomery Flagg.

Sheridan was art editor for the Washington Times and worked for the San Francisco Chronicle in the development of its first color Sunday supplement. Between 1931 and 1939 he produced 13 cover illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post.

As an advertising illustrator, Sheridan produced a large number of advertisements, posters and seasonal style books for Hart Schaffner & Marx, a Chicago-based clothier.