Editorial Cartoonists of the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) :: MISCELLANEOUS - WW2

Fighting Tires: Robert Patterson’s 1944 Portrait of Industrial Power in the Pacific for LIFE Magazine (original art)

Artist: Robert Patterson (Penciller)

1 Comment - 31 Views - 1 Like

Fighting Tires: Robert Patterson’s 1944 Portrait of Industrial Power in the Pacific for LIFE Magazine (original art) Comic Art

Additional Images:

Reverse Side: Handwritten Documentation & Board Stamp

The Signalman

Engineering the Advance

Convoy Through Terrain

Wings Overhead

LIFE Magazine – June 12, 1944 (published art)

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Artwork Details

Title:	Fighting Tires: Robert Patterson’s 1944 Portrait of Industrial Power in the Pacific for LIFE Magazine (original art)
Artist:	Robert Patterson (Penciller)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	31
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	8/8/2025
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Fighting Tires
Robert Patterson, 1944
Original WWII illustration commissioned by U.S. Rubber Co.
Published in LIFE Magazine, June 12, 1944

🎨 Artwork Summary
A dramatic wartime composition by American illustrator Robert Patterson, Fighting Tires captures the coordinated force of U.S. military logistics in the Pacific theater. A commanding officer signals from a heavy transport truck as a jungle convoy pushes forward through rough terrain. Below, engineers' clear debris by hand and direct bulldozers, while aircraft streak across the sky above. This richly detailed monochrome work celebrates the industrial backbone of Allied victory — with U.S. Rubber tires as the unsung heroes rolling beneath every advance.

🧾 Provenance
Commissioned by: U.S. Rubber Co. (Institutional campaign)
Completed: May 16, 1944 – fee $600
Published: LIFE Magazine, June 12, 1944 (full-page ad)
Reverse Notes: Title, client, date, payment, Army–Navy clearance
Signature: Lower left, Robert Patterson

🖼️ Medium & Dimensions
Ink wash and gouache on Whatman cold-pressed watercolor board
Image size: 24½″ H × 19½″ W
Mounted to original board with period production notes on reverse

🔍 Visual Highlights
The Signalman: Commanding figure atop truck coordinates the advance
Engineering the Advance: Laborers and bulldozers clear the way below
Wings Overhead: Twin-engine bombers suggest full-spectrum mobilization
Convoy Through Terrain: Amphibious and treaded vehicles slog through mud and surf

📉 Condition
Very good overall
Minor ~½″ tear near commanding figure’s leg (does not affect composition)
Reverse documentation fully intact and legible

📚 Included with Artwork
Original LIFE Magazine (June 12, 1944)
High-resolution detail photography
Reverse board image with handwritten notes
Signature close-up
Visual analysis & thematic captioning

👤 About the Artist
Robert Patterson was a mid-century American illustrator known for major wartime industrial commissions. His work appeared in LIFE and other leading publications, often under military clearance. A master of dramatic realism, Patterson captured the machinery and manpower behind the U.S. war effort with precision and visual power.

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About the Owner

	Alan E Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	May 2025
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
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Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 8/9/2025

A great instersection of the war effort with air, land, and sea all represented here with a well chosen photographic depiction.

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