On this day, June 2, 1918, cartoonist Ruth Atkinson was born in Toronto, Canada. Atkinson was a pioneering woman comic book artist who helped create the Marvel Comics characters Millie the Model and Patsy Walker.

On this day, June 1, 2001, cartoonist Hank Ketcham died in Pebble Beach, California. Without finishing college, Ketcham went to Los Angeles hoping to work for Disney, instead he worked as an animator for Walter Lantz and then eventually Disney. His cartoon Dennis The Menace began in 1951 and was based on his own 4-year old

On this day, May 31, 2008, illustrator Clifford N. Geary died in Hague, New York. Geary trained at the Massachusetts School of Art. He primarily worked illustrating science books and science fiction novels, especially Robert A. Heinlein’s juvenile series of stories published between 1948 and 1956.

On this day, May 30, 1879, illustrator T. Victor Hall was born in Rising Sun, Indiana. Hall studied at the Cincinnati Art Academy and then moved to New York City. He created various magazine covers and story illustrations. After WWI, Hall worked exclusively on illustrating war-torn Europe. Then during WWII he created patriotic posters.

On this day, May 29, 1955, illustrator and animator David Kirschner was born in Los Angeles, California. Kirschner studied at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. His early work included designing album covers for Neil Diamond and illustrating characters for the Muppets and Sesame Street. He later created and produced An American Tail with

On this day, May 28, 1982, illustrator Joseph Bodner died California. After service in WWII, Bodner studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. His work typically focused on the vanishing western imagery. His painting The Resurrection of Jonathan was exhibited at the premiere of the movie, Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

May 27, 1960, illustrator James Montgomery Flagg died New York City. Prior to his training at the Art Students League in New York and then his further study in London and Paris, Flagg already worked for Life and Judge magazines. In 1917 he first created his most famous illustration as a magazine cover illustration for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly

On this day, May 26, 2012, Leo Dillon died in Brooklyn, New York. Illustrator Dillon was trained at Parsons School of Design in New York, where he met his wife and collaborator, Diane Dillon. Together they created both science fiction illustrations and images for children’s literature. In 1975 and 76 they were awarded consecutive Caldecott Medals for

On this day, May 25, 1856, William Wallace Denslow born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After brief periods of studying art at the National Academy of Design and the Cooper Union in New York, Denslow began traveling as an artist and newspaper reporter. In Chicago Denslow met L. Frank Baum and began illustrating his books including The

On this day, May 24, 1925, comic artist Carmine Infantino was born in Brooklyn, New York. After doing free-lance illustrations for comic book publishers, Infantino was hired by DC Comics where he revamped The Flash and in the 1960s gave Batman a new look.