By Roy Nuhn

As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, February 2008

During the course of the 20th century many artists created Valentine's Day designs for greeting cards, postcards, magazine covers, and other ephemera. Probably none, though, concentrated more on the Valentine's Day theme than did Charles Twelvetrees.

He has always remained somewhat of a shadowy figure about whom we know little. While certainly not one of the more famous illustrators of his day, he was good enough to earn his livelihood from his pen and his work was well enough received to keep him busy.

In analyzing the career and life of C. Twelvetrees, we may be talking about two men - father and son. We do not know which Twelvetrees is our postcard artist or the illustrator of later works. In all probability, Charles H. did the postcards and the early work, and Charles R. the later magazine and greeting card assignments. Or, perhaps, they worked as a team during many of those years.

Charles R. Twelvetrees was born in New York City in 1888. His father was Charles H. Twelvetrees. A Mrs. Twelvetrees died in 1902. As a struggling freelance artist, in the early years of the 20th century, he (C. Twelvetrees or C.T., the two signatures we see on all the postcards - though, many are unsigned) was drawn to the low paying world of postcard illustrating. A study of the cards he did depicts a picture of a man going from company to company. Apparently he was never hooked up to one firm on a permanent basis, as Bernhardt Wall was with Ullman Mfg. Co. or Ellen Clapsaddle at International Art Publ. Co.

All in all, he worked for several New York City publishers, including Bergman, National Art, Edward Gross Company and Ullman. Wall was Ullman's major in-house artist and responsible for nearly 50% of their output. Other illustrators, such as Twelvetrees, were often commissioned to produce other sets as needed.

In 1907, four years after Ullman had begun publishing postcards, Twelvetrees designed their Series No. 77, "Jungle Sports," which portrayed large sized animals playing sports. This is a four-card set and is today quite elusive.

What is important, however, to us at this time is the twelve-card set the artist did the previous year, in 1906, for Ullman. This is the highly regarded “National Cupid" Series No. 75. Each card shows a cupid in the national costume of a different nation. Illustrated with this article are several postcards from this interesting and colorful set.

The complete checklist follows. All cards bear the "C. Twelvetrees" signature.     

No. 1877, "United states"   No. 1883, "Holland"     No. 1878, "England"     No. 1884, "Spain"             No. 1879, "Ireland"            No. 1885, "Canada"     No. 1880, "Scotland"    No. 1886, "France"   
No. 1881, "Germany"         No. 1887, "China"        No. 1882, "Mexico"       No.1 888, "Italy"

Children were Twelvetrees' forte. Practically everything he ever drew contained children and most of the time these youngsters were either clones or kissing cousins of each other. In later years, especially during the early 1930s when he did all the monthly covers for F. W. Woolworth's (the five-and-dime chain) "The Home Magazine," these same kids kept popping up. He also did much work for "Pictorial Review" magazine from about 1918 to the late 1920s, both covers and a cartoon series under the title of "The Twelvetrees Kiddies" and the byline, "C. H. Twelvetrees.

The publisher of "The Home Magazine" was Tower Magazines, Inc., who also published other monthlies, such as "Illustrated Love," "Illustrated Detective," and "Hollywood." Their editorial offices were located at 55 Fifth Avenue in New York City. Since it was probably for them and not for Woolworth's that Charles

Twelvetrees and fellow illustrator Vernon Grant, who would soon gain fame for his Snap, Crackle, and Pop characters worked, it is quite likely that his illustrations might also be found in these other publications.

Reportedly, Twelvetrees did a comic strip, "Johnny Quack," for the New York "Herald Sunday" funny pages, but I can find no collaboration for this. But if true, and most likely it is, it could not have been a success nor did the artist prove himself much of a comic stripper.

Apparently Charles Twelvetrees spent his entire life in New York City. Besides having worked for so many local publishers throughout the years, all later reports have him living here as well. And finally, on April 7, 1948, he died in his room at the Hotel Le Marquis on 12 East 31st Street. He was taking a bath at the time and the coroner's report listed death as from natural causes. Since the New York Times obituary notice mentioned no survivors, and since his residence at the time was a hotel, we can only surmise that the artist, who had spent his entire life drawing children in all sorts of happy situations, never had any sons or daughters of his own, or was alienated from that at the end.

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