Alongside J.C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell, Stevan Dohanos is remembered as one of the most beloved and prolific illustrators for the Saturday Evening Post. His gift for capturing the nuanced details of everyday life is reflected in this charming work, entitled The Freesoil Printery, which captures a group of newspaper delivery boys waiting for their daily papers.

The work was specially commissioned by the Curtis Circulation Company, a subsidiary of Curtis Publishing Company, which owned the famed Saturday Evening Post. The composition was presented by the company to Henry Garfinkle, a newsboy-turned-major distributor with a remarkable story. Garfinkle began selling newspapers on street corners at the age of 13 to help support his family, and later went on to become a millionaire operator of newspaper and magazine distribution systems in New York, Boston and Toronto. The subject of the newsboys was the perfect choice for this entrepreneur, and Dohanos brilliantly brings them to life in oil.

Dohanos possessed a remarkable talent for bring to life the narrative of his paintings in a single scene. An incredible amount of detail fills his vivid compositions, each carefully considered and placed to contribute to the painting's overall story. This careful attention to detail is evident in every inch of this heartwarming piece, as the young boys lineup in their newsboy caps to receive the daily paper. Simultaneously nostalgic and timeless, it is a stunning example of the art of illustration.

The son of Hungarian immigrants, Dohanos was born in small-town Ohio in 1907. He became fascinated at a young age with the art of illustration, and as a child frequently copied many Rockwell pieces that he admired. A dedicated artist, he would soon become one of the greatest illustrators of his age, painting over 100 for the Saturday Evening Post and designed over 40 stamps for the United States Postal Service. Today, his pictures are highly prized in the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum, among others, and remain highly collectible.