Society of Illustrators

The Society of Illustrators is a professional nonprofit organization based in New York City dedicated to promoting the art of illustration. Founded in 1901, it is the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. The institution operates the Museum of American Illustration, which opened to the public in 1981, and maintains a permanent collection of over 3,500 works by prominent illustrators and cartoonists. Since 1959, the Society has held a prestigious annual juried exhibition, and it has expanded its advocacy to include comic and cartoon art following the absorption of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in 2012. Through exhibitions, educational outreach, and annual awards, the Society fosters appreciation for the historical and contemporary practice of illustration.

The Society was established on February 1, 1901, by nine artists and one advising businessman, Henry S. Fleming, who served as its secretary and treasurer. The founding artists were Otto Henry Bacher, Frank Vincent DuMond, Henry Hutt, Albert Wenzell, Albert Sterner, Benjamin West Clinedinst, F. C. Yohn, Louis Loeb, and Reginald Birch. Their mission was to promote illustration and hold periodic exhibitions. Women were admitted as Associate Members in 1903 but could not achieve full membership until 1922, the same year the Society was formally incorporated. During World War I, under President Charles Dana Gibson, members formed the Division of Pictorial Publicity, producing iconic propaganda posters like James Montgomery Flagg's Uncle Sam recruiting image. Eight members were commissioned as captains and sent to France to sketch the war. Following the war, the Society operated a School for Disabled Soldiers. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Society hosted the Illustrator's Shows, elaborate theatrical productions featuring artists and models that raised funds, allowing the organization to acquire its permanent headquarters in 1939. During World War II, members created poster campaigns, visited veterans' hospitals to sketch the wounded, and formed the Illustrator's Jazz Band to entertain troops. Postwar milestones include the 1948 Code of Fair Practice, a 1954 U.S. Air Force art documentation program that continues today, and the launch of the Annual Exhibition in 1959. The Museum of American Illustration was established in 1981, and in 2012 the Society absorbed the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, subsequently hosting the annual MoCCA Festival.

The Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators holds one of the most comprehensive collections of illustration and comic art in the world. Established in the mid-1930s, the permanent collection has grown to over 3,500 works through purchases and donations from members, patrons, and estates. The holdings comprehensively track the evolution of American illustration, encompassing Golden Age illustration, editorial art, and extensive comic and cartoon art. The 2012 transfer of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art assets significantly expanded the Society's comic holdings, adding original works from various comic strips, underground comix, and animation, alongside a significant library of books about comic and cartoon art and a large collection of comic books. Portions of the collection are constantly on rotating display throughout the building.

The permanent collection features works by foundational illustrators such as Norman Rockwell, Howard Pyle, N. C. Wyeth, James Montgomery Flagg, Bob Peak, and Bernie Fuchs. A signature piece is Rockwell's Dover Coach, donated by the artist in 1939 to commemorate the Society's new headquarters, which currently hangs in the Members Dining Room. The comic and cartoon art holdings include works by Charles Dana Gibson, Thomas Nast, and Rube Goldberg, alongside original strips like Milton Caniff's Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon, George Herriman's Krazy Kat, Al Capp's Li'l Abner, and Walt Kelly's Pogo. The MoCCA acquisition added further notable pieces, including Alison Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For, Dan DeCarlo's Betty and Veronica, Craig McCracken's Powerpuff Girls, and Bill Griffith's Zippy the Pinhead.

Since 1939, the Society of Illustrators has been headquartered at 128 East 63rd Street in New York City, situated between Lexington and Park Avenues. The acquisition of the building was funded in part by the proceeds from the Society's theatrical Illustrator's Shows during the 1920s and 1930s. The facility houses the Museum of American Illustration, exhibition galleries, and member spaces such as the Members Dining Room, which features Norman Rockwell's Dover Coach. The building accommodates rotating displays of the permanent collection and hosts year-round themed exhibitions, including the annual juried show.

The Society of Illustrators is located at 128 East 63rd Street in New York City. It is open to the public, offering regular exhibitions and over one hundred programs annually, drawing tens of thousands of visitors. General admission to exhibitions is fifteen dollars for adults and ten dollars for students. The institution also offers behind-the-scenes tours of the permanent collection for accredited art school groups by appointment. In addition to its exhibitions, the Society hosts the annual MoCCA Festival, an independent comics showcase, and presents numerous awards recognizing excellence in the field, including Hall of Fame inductions, the Hamilton King Award, and the Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award. The Society also maintains active educational outreach programs and student scholarship competitions.