The editors of Liberty magazine, which first appeared on the newsstand in 1924, prided themselves on innovation - any innovation that would broaden their readership. One of their most successful and appealing ideas was the "continuity cover", and the artist who took the assignment was Leslie Thrasher.

For six years, Thrasher created a cover a week for $1,000 each, depicting the lives of a middle-class couple and their extended family, from their high school romance to a well-heeled middle age. Entitled For The Love o' Lil, the series was the prototype for the soap opera and its popularity warranted adaptations to radio and the big screen.

Thrasher was a populist almost in spite of his fine arts training in Phila...