On this day, December 8, 1893, pin-up illustrator Earl Steffa Moran was born in Belle Plaine, Iowa. In the early 1930s Moran began to create pin-up figures for Brown & Bigelow calendars. In 1946 Moran moved to Hollywood where he continued to paint pretty pin-up girls, including a young Marilyn Monroe.
On this day, December 7, 1915, illustrator Charles M. Kerins was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. Kerins was a popular illustrator in the 1950s and 60s, creating a variety of magazine cover illustrations and advertisements for popular products.
On this day, December 6, 1939, Edwin Frederick Brotze died in Seattle, Washington. Brotze was a newspaper illustrator and an editorial cartoonist having worked in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
On this day, December 5, 1901, Walt Disney born Chicago, Illinois. In the 1920s Disney and his staff created his most famous cartoon character, Mickey Mouse, whose voice was Walt Disney's own until 1947.
On this day, December 4, 1947, illustrator and graphic designer Richard Amsel born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After early youthful success, Amsel went on to have a career doing TV Guide cover illustrations and poster designs for a variety of popular movies.
On this day, December 3, 1897, artist and cartoonist William Gropper was born in New York City. Gropper worked for various newspapers as an illustrator and cartoonist including The Masses and later the Liberator. His social concerns were often the focus of his art.
On this day, December 2, 1936, Charles Leslie Thrasher died in New York from the effects of smoke inhalation after his summer home burned. After his studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and in France, Thrasher studied in Wilmington with Howard Pyle. By 1926 he was creating a weekly cover for Liberty magazine
On this day, December 1, 1949, author and illustrator of children's books Jan Brett was born in Norwell, Massachusetts. Brett's work focuses on beautifully rendered tales.
On this day, November 30, 1931, illustrator Margot Zemach was born in Los Angeles, California. Zemach specialized in retelling folk tales from around the world with her fine line drawings and watercolor wash.
Alice Barber Stephens (1858-1932) | Somebody has to raise everything you eat, Do Your Share, c.1917-18 | Crayon on paper on board | Cabinet of American Illustration, Prints and Photographs Div. of the Library of Congress, CAI, Stephens, no. 16 (D size) As the United States began to mobilize to