Clothes, they say, make the man. But in the world of early-20th-century advertisements, illustrators made the man that wore the clothes that made the man. Just look how self-satisfied this gent appears while tying his tie. The illustrator may be anonymous, but he was skilled at posing the quintessential Italian man feeling good and looking sharp.
.
For more Steven Heller, check out The Education of an Illustrator—one of the many Heller titles available at MyDesignShop.com.