Held, John, Jr. (1889-1958), was an American cartoonist. He was best known for his delightful pictures of the manners and pastimes of the period in America known as the Roaring Twenties. Held’s drawing style was elegant and sophisticated, like the fashionable, fun-loving people he portrayed. His humor was sympathetic rather than harsh, and he dealt with his subjects affectionately. Held popularized the image of the stylish but frivolous young women of the 1920’s called flappers.
John Held, Jr., was born on Jan. 10, 1889, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and moved to New York City in 1910. He drew cartoons and covers for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Life, The New Yorker, and other magazines. By the late 1920’s, his cartoons were being distributed to newspapers across the United States. He died on March 2, 1958.
