What an absolutely stunning Art Deco football program from the Yale v. Army game of 1928, a game played at Yale. What makes the program exceptional, however, is the imagery on the cover and inside, and the artists who did the illustrations. Internally there is an image done by John Held Jr. and is titled “The Love Life of a Halfback” (pictured). Held was the preeminent artist of the Jazz Age who was widely published in the New Yorker, Harper’s Bazaar, Life Magazine and Vanity Fair. Held was famous for his depiction of the popular Roaring Twenties dance ‘The Charleston’ and his depictions of college-age women and in particular “the flapper”. The cover illustration and a full-page interior illustration was done by Russell Paterson. A graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, Patterson also popularized the iconic images of the Jazz Age and essentially created the “lithe, full-breasted, long-legged American girl-goddess.” His illustrations appeared on the cover of Life Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, Vanity Fair. The subtle use of pastel colors on the cover is as good as it gets. The illustration is titled “To the Victor” and shows a victorious football player surrounded by young adoring female fans of the era. It is one of the ultimate expressions of the Deco era and evokes images and a time that with F. Scott Fitzgerald popularized in the Great Gatsby. One of the most amazing and impressive college football programs ever produced!

Automobiles of the period were also exceptionally stylish as evidenced by the color Stutz advertisement above, from the interior of the program.

We have a nice selection of vintage college football programs, including those with Deco themes on our website.