Stevan Dohanos stands as one of the most beloved and prolific illustrators for the Saturday Evening Post alongside the great American illustrators J.C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell. His remarkable talent for capturing the character of his subjects as well as the most minute details is reflected in this captivating work, entitled The Vacationers. Featured on the August 25, 1951 cover of the Post, the painting embodies the remarkable photographic realism and nuance of Dohanos' oeuvre.

Dohanos, more than almost any other illustrator of his age, was extraordinarily adept at capturing the significant incidentals of his scenes. He once said, "I never begin a painting until I have complete and authentic information for a drawing, particularly because I work so realistically and there is no covering up a bit of ignorance with a careless stroke of the brush." His extensive research is evident in almost every detail of this charming piece, which captures a vacationing couple in a souvenir shop. From the idyllic scenes on the postcards to the camera and brick shops in the distance, all of the elements come together to form a comprehensive narrative.

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. Dohanos was a founding member of the Famous Artists School in Westport, Connecticut, and gained fame and popularity through the more than 120 Post covers he created during the 1940s and 1950s. Today, his work can be found in such acclaimed institutions as the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum, among others, and remain highly collectible.