In this first study of its kind, Michele H. Bogart explores in unprecedented detail the world of commercial art, its illustrators, publishers, art directors, photographers, and painters.

"With this ground-breaking study, Bogart explores the historical implications of (the conflicting roles of the twentieth-century American artist in commerce) and, more importantly, reveals how they ultimately facilitated the consolidation of high culture in the United States". -- Vincent Carducci, New Art Examiner

"Michele Bogart's book is original in many respects. . . . She offers a close reading of selected images, documentation of the flux of history via a series of case studies, plus a useful clarification of the terminology and concepts found in the discourse of artists, critics, and patrons". -- John A. Walker, Art Monthly

"Bogart examines . . . how illustrators struggled for and obtained recognition and legitimacy, and how advertisers and illustrators forever changed the boundaries between commercial, popular, and 'high' arts". -- Design Issues