Hailing one of the original "Mad Men".

• Position: USA Yesterday - Exhibition 'Mac Conner: A New York Life'

FROM the 1940s to 1960s, the captivating advertising and editorial illustrations of McCauley ("Mac") Conner, one of New York's original "Mad Men," graced the pages of major magazines, helping shape the popular image of postwar America.

"Mac Conner: A New York Life"--the first exhibition of more than 70 original artworks by the illustrator--explores one man's prolific career in New York, the world's media capital and the country's publishing center in the pivotal years after World War II.

"Today, Mac Conner is one of the few remaining voices of an influential group of New York illustrators who created the look of a generation," notes Susan Henshaw Jones, director of the Museum of the City of New York. "We are thrilled to showcase his incredible work and introduce visitors to yet another remarkable New Yorker."

Adds Terrence C. Brown, a City Museum guest curator and former director of the Society of Illustrators: 'This golden era of Mac's illustration career echoes the golden era of when New York was the hub of advertising and publishing in America. The man had the skills and the imagination to service both with exciting images. The public will thoroughly enjoy a look at these times."

Conner, still witty at 101, considers himself an illustrator rather than an artist, and his striking graphic approach seems as modern today as it was at the height of his career. On view for the first time are reference photographs, pastel sketches, and final printed pieces that illuminate Conner's illustration process and the nature of his collaboration with colleagues and clients, which helped to shape the final work.

Exhibition highlights include:

* Three issues of The Saturday Evening Post dated from 1937, 1939, and 1941 with front page illustrations by Conner, who was one of the youngest artists ever to earn a place on the cover of one of the most prestigious media outlets of the era.

* A six-minute video interview with Conner, who reflects on his start in the advertising business, and the inspiration and technique behind his illustrations.

* Two illustrations for a December 1957 Cosmopolitan story by Archie Oldham entitled "Between the Halves," which are paired with a display of correlating steps involved in the illustration process, such as pastel comps, reference photos, paintings, and final tearsheets.

* A selection of fiction stories--accompanied with illustrations by Conner and his contemporaries such as Tom Lovell, Bernie Fuchs, and Dorothy Monet--in...