Coby Whitmore
Encyclopedia
Maxwell Coburn Whitmore, Jr. (June 11, 1913 - October 12, 1988) was an American
painter and magazine illustrator known for his Saturday Evening Post covers, and a commercial art
ist whose work included advertisements for Gallo Wine and other national brands. He additionally became known as a race-car designer.
Whitmore was inducted into the Society of Illustrators
Hall of Fame in 1978.
, Ohio
, the son of Maxwell Coburn Whitmore Sr. and Charlotte Bosier, and attended the Dayton Art Institute
. Following an apprenticeship with the "Sundblom Circle" of Chicago
, Illinois
, illustrator Haddon Sundblom
, Whitmore joined the Charles E. Cooper Studio, on West 57th Street in New York City
, in 1943. There he illustrated for leading magazines of the day and did other commercial art.
Whitmore and Jon Whitcomb
were two of the top illustrators at Cooper, which in the 1940s and 1950s "monopolized the ladies' magazines like McCall's
, Ladies Home Journal, and Good Housekeeping
with postwar images of the ideal white American family centered around pretty, middle-class, female consumers living happily in new kitchens, new houses, driving new cars, living with handsome husbands, adorable children, and cute dogs".
, joining Norman Rockwell
, Stevan Dohanos
, Albert Dorne
and others members of what became known as the Westport School of American illustration. Additionally, Whitmore, by then living in Briarcliff Manor
, New York
, teamed with former World War II
fighter pilot John Fitch, an imported car dealer in White Plains, New York
, to design and race sports cars in the 1950s and 1960s.
Whitmore died in Hilton Head, South Carolina
, in 1988 at age 75.
, John Romita, Sr.
, and Phil Noto. Glen Murakami, producer of the 2000s Teen Titans animated series on Cartoon Network
, cited Whitmore and fellow illustrator Bob Peak
as "big influences on the loose, painterly style we have been using for the backgrounds".
Hall of Fame in 1978.
His work was presented alongside that of several contemporaries of illustrator Al Parker
in the "Re-Imagining the American Woman" section of the retrospective "Ephemeral Beauty: Al Parker and the American Women's Magazine, 1940-1960", mounted by the Norman Rockwell Museum
from June 9 to October 28, 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter and magazine illustrator known for his Saturday Evening Post covers, and a commercial art
Commercial art
Commercial art is historically a subsector of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. The term has become increasingly anachronistic in favor of more contemporary terms such as graphic design and advertising art.Commercial art traditionally...
ist whose work included advertisements for Gallo Wine and other national brands. He additionally became known as a race-car designer.
Whitmore was inducted into the Society of Illustrators
Society of Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the mission of the Society is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history...
Hall of Fame in 1978.
Early life and career
Coby Whitmore was born in DaytonDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, the son of Maxwell Coburn Whitmore Sr. and Charlotte Bosier, and attended the Dayton Art Institute
Dayton Art Institute
The Dayton Art Institute is a museum of fine arts in Dayton, Ohio, USA. The Dayton Art Institute was rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for kids. The museum also ranks in the top 3% of all art museums in North America in 3 of 4 factors...
. Following an apprenticeship with the "Sundblom Circle" of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, illustrator Haddon Sundblom
Haddon Sundblom
Haddon Hubbard "Sunny" Sundblom was an artist best known for the images of Santa Claus he created for The Coca-Cola Company.-Background:Sundblom was born in Muskegon, Michigan to a Swedish-speaking family...
, Whitmore joined the Charles E. Cooper Studio, on West 57th Street in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in 1943. There he illustrated for leading magazines of the day and did other commercial art.
Whitmore and Jon Whitcomb
Jon Whitcomb
Jon Whitcomb was an American illustrator. He was well-known for his pictures of glamorous young women. He was born in Weatherford, Oklahoma and grew up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin...
were two of the top illustrators at Cooper, which in the 1940s and 1950s "monopolized the ladies' magazines like McCall's
McCall's
McCall's was a monthly American women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873...
, Ladies Home Journal, and Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
with postwar images of the ideal white American family centered around pretty, middle-class, female consumers living happily in new kitchens, new houses, driving new cars, living with handsome husbands, adorable children, and cute dogs".
Later life and career
Whitmore later became an instructor with the Famous Artists SchoolFamous Artists School
Famous Artists School has offered correspondence courses in art since it was founded in 1948 in Westport, Connecticut, U.S.A. The idea was conceived by Albert Dorne as a result of a conversation with Norman Rockwell...
, joining Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
, Stevan Dohanos
Stevan Dohanos
Stevan Dohanos was an artist and illustrator of the social realism school, best known for his Saturday Evening Post covers, and responsible for several of the Don't Talk set of World War II propaganda posters. He named Grant Wood and Edward Hopper as the greatest influences on his painting.Dohanos...
, Albert Dorne
Albert Dorne
Albert Dorne was an American Illustrator.He was born in the slums of New York City's East Side, and had a troubled childhood plagued with tuberculosis and heart problems. He would cut classes to study art in the museums, eventually quitting school altogether to support his family...
and others members of what became known as the Westport School of American illustration. Additionally, Whitmore, by then living in Briarcliff Manor
Briarcliff Manor, New York
Briarcliff Manor is a village in Westchester County in the state of New York. It is shared between the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining, and lies entirely within the ZIP code of 10510...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, teamed with former World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
fighter pilot John Fitch, an imported car dealer in White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
, to design and race sports cars in the 1950s and 1960s.
Whitmore died in Hilton Head, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, in 1988 at age 75.
Legacy
Whitmore's work influenced such comic-book artists as John BuscemaJohn Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
, John Romita, Sr.
John Romita, Sr.
John V. Romita, Sr. is an Italian-American comic-book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man...
, and Phil Noto. Glen Murakami, producer of the 2000s Teen Titans animated series on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
, cited Whitmore and fellow illustrator Bob Peak
Bob Peak
Robert "Bob" M. Peak was an American commercial illustrator best known for innovative design in the development of the modern movie poster....
as "big influences on the loose, painterly style we have been using for the backgrounds".
Awards and honors
Whitmore was inducted into the Society of IllustratorsSociety of Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the mission of the Society is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history...
Hall of Fame in 1978.
His work was presented alongside that of several contemporaries of illustrator Al Parker
Al Parker
Al Parker was a gay American pornographic actor , producer, and director. He died from complications of AIDS at the age of 40....
in the "Re-Imagining the American Woman" section of the retrospective "Ephemeral Beauty: Al Parker and the American Women's Magazine, 1940-1960", mounted by the Norman Rockwell Museum
Norman Rockwell Museum
The Norman Rockwell Museum is home to the world's largest collection of original Rockwell art.-History:Founded in 1969, the museum is located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where Rockwell lived the last 25 years of his life. The museum has been at its current location since 1993. The museum...
from June 9 to October 28, 2007.