McClelland Barclay (1891–1943) was appointed a Lieutenant Commander, United States Naval Reserve, during World War II and contributed many posters, illustrations and officer portraits for the Navy before being reported missing in action, in the Pacific theatre, aboard an L.S.T. which was torpedoed.

Before the war, Barclay was most noted for his ability to paint strikingly beautiful women, boldly colored and outlined, best exemplified by his series for General Motors illustrating the slogan, “Body by Fisher,” and on numerous magazine covers, such as The Saturday Evening Post, and Pictorial Review.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Barclay was a student of H. C. Ives, George Bridgman and Thomas Fogarty. He was a member of the Artists Guild, the Art Students League of New York and the Society of Illustrators.

From the time he married in 1930 onward, he produced numerous sculptures often festooned with animals. These were then manufactured out of metal in a wide variety of utilitarian and decorative household objects, such as bowls, boxes, trays, pins, bookends and wall hangings by the McClelland Barclay Art Company.

In 1944 Barclay was awarded the Art Directors Club Medal posthumously, “in recognition of his long and distinguished record in editorial illustration and advertising art and in honor of his devotion and meritorious service to his country as a commissioned officer of the United States Navy.”

The Pin-up Gallery v1.5g
Copyright 1995-2024 The e.Lib
No previous access to this page 
Page last updated on May 22, 2022 at 12:24:26