ERNEST HAMLIN BAKER Alternate TIME Magazine cover 1950's

Ernest Hamlin Baker (1989-1975) was a self-taught artist from Poughkeepsie, New York. Early in his career, Baker drew editorial cartoons before creating propaganda posters during World War 1 and World War 2, artwork for New York Telephone, a well-known Rhode Island mural, New Yorker Magazine illustrations, Christmas Seals posters, and FORTUNE MAGAZINE covers. In 1939, TIME MAGAZINE need a portrait of pianist Ignace Jan Paderewski completed in 2 days, and the publisher suggested Baker whose work he knew from FORTUNE. Baker did an impressive job and that led to an ongoing relationship with TIME MAGAZINE where he created more than 300 covers between 1939-1956. He was among a select group of regular cover artist artists that created possible weekly covers in a competitive situation. Known as TIME Magazine's ABC's, Boris Artzybasheff, Ernest Hamlin Baker and Boris Chaliapin created most of TIME's mid-century covers. This piece from the early 1950's was likely an unused TIME cover. Although I have no idea who the subject is, I absolutely love this piece- Baker's meticulous cross-hatch technique is just incredible (see detail) incredible! It takes enormous creativity and talent to take a subject as bland as termites and turn it into something stunning!!!