As I’ve done on every New Year’s Eve for the last 20 years(!), I’ll wish all Lines and Colors readers a Happy New Year with one of J. C. Leyendecker’s New Year’s covers for the Saturday Evening Post.

In most of these, Leyendecker commented on events of the time, In this one he’s marking the arrival of 1926. The title is “No New Taxes!” and the New Year’s baby is chopping the tax bill in half. In the Revenue Act of 1926, President Calvin Coolidge actually reduced federal income tax and inheritance tax. (What a concept!)

At top, I’ve shown a cleaned up version of the cover, below that is a photo of an actual museum cover, faded with time. The original art for this illustration (images above, bottom) was recently on display at the Delaware Art Museum.

For more Leyendecker to while away your New Year’s day, check the list of Lines and Colors J C. Leyendecker posts at the end of this article.

Going into the new year, I will point out that in ugly times, the creation of beauty is an act of defiance.