Mercury the Speed God - J.C. Leyendecker Art Print
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The Speed God Mercury, Joseph Christian Leyendecker's 1907 cover for Collier's Weekly, hangs its true emblem overhead: a caduceus with two serpents coiled tight around a winged staff, painted in flat charcoal-black against the cream sky.
Mercury's herald symbol, inherited from classical mythology, floats untethered above the automobile's fender, a deliberate collision of ancient attribute and combustion-era machinery. American illustration of this period rarely resisted such pairings.
Leyendecker's brushwork keeps the serpents crisp; the figure below dissolves into looser, gestural strokes. Burnt-orange cloth billows from Mercury's shoulder, catching wind that the caduceus itself seems immune to, fixed and watchful above the chaos. His profile turns slightly toward the viewer, cheek shadowed under a laurel-white cap.
Already recognized for his Arrow Collar campaigns, Leyendecker brought commercial fluency to mythological subject matter, making Mercury legible to a mass readership instead of a gallery few. Cropped inside the octagon's black border, the composition holds its arrow-straight energy until the balloon's basket, small and distant. With Mercury's raised leg, sandal strap taut, becoming the cover's true hinge point. Joining ancient myth to the machine age's ground-level velocity, wheel spoke and orange fold locked in a single frozen instant of forward motion.
Origin Story
Wall Art Size Guides
Framed Art Prints
1. Vertical
Use the sawtooth hanger at the top middle on the back of the frame and hang it on a single screw or nail.
2. Horizontal
Hang the two sawtooth hangers on two screws or nails at the same heightPut two screws or nails in the wall at the same height, spaced the same distance apart as the two sawtooth hangers, then hang your print on them.
Framed Canvas
1. D-rings (most secure)
Screw a D-ring onto the back of the frame on the left and right, both at the same height. A ruler helps here. Then put two screws in the wall where you want your canvas, level with each other and spaced the same distance apart as the D-rings. A spirit level makes this easier. Finally, hook the D-rings onto the screws.
2. Straight onto screws
Keep it simple: put two screws in the wall at the same height and rest the inner lip at the top of the back of the frame on them.
1. Cost
Free shipping to Continental USA, Canada, UK, EU, AUS, NZ & more: see full list here.
2. Produced on Demand
Printed after you purchase at print labs across the USA, UK, EU & AUS. Produced, quality checked, packed with care and handed to trusted shipping carriers within 72-96 hours on average.
3. Production + Shipping =
USA: 4-9 days • Canada: 5-12 days • UK: 4-9 days • EU: 5-10 days • AUS: 4-9 days • NZ: 5-12 days • Rest of the world: 3-4 weeks
4. Shipped with Love
Every package tracked from A to B to You. Sent carbon neutral at no extra charge. Peace of mind your money's being kind.
30 Day Returns
1. You're welcome to open a return / exchange request within 30 days of your order's delivery. All items for return must be delivered back in their original condition, with their original packaging included.
2. No guarantees your return will be approved if you send items back before the approval of your return request.
3. No returns, refunds or exchanges on discounted or sale items.
Read the step-by-step returns process.
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