Bill Mauldin - Original WWII Ink Illustration from "Star Spangled Banter" - 1941
Artist: Bill Mauldin (All)
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Star Spangled Banter Book Covers - 1941
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DescriptionIn August 1941, the 45th Division was sent to Louisiana to take part in the largest field maneuvers ever undertaken in the United States. Mauldin was part of the newspaper crew whose job it was to document the maneuvers from the field and send stories and images back to the hometown newspapers. This was really the germination of the work that Mauldin would become well-known for. At one point, two men from Universal Press drove up from San Antonio, Texas, wanting to know if Mauldin was interested in producing a souvenir book of original cartoons. Mauldin secured a three-day pass and in 48 hours created 15 cartoons and 25 drawings for the book, which became the very first edition of Star Spangled Banter. There were two later editions, one of which is quite common. The first edition remains scarce. But this brush and ink drawing, featuring a soldier sleeping just outside of his pup tent, with tall trees and dark spaces in the background, was drawn for this book.At this point, Mauldin was going back and forth between a cartoon approach and a more graphic drawing approach. The front cover of the book features a cartoon, while the back cover features a more graphic image of soldiers, similar in approach to this piece. Mauldin was all of 19 years old at the time, still finding his way, artistically-speaking. It would not be long before he began to hit his stride. While this early work of Mauldin's is not his most desirable, it remains quite scarce, and gives some insights into Mauldin's formative period. Social/Sharing |
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Marcus Wai 
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 4/16/2025
Very nice design in making the tall trees become the highlight in the vertical look of the piece instead of putting the focus the soldier.
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