Saturday, December 22, 2007

John Groth

John Groth
Also signed his work John August Groth
American illustrator, editor, teacher, combat artist and correspondent

1908-1988

The illustrative style Groth uses for this 1963 adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol, was developed during his time as a combat artist. The speed line gives it spontaneity, especially when augmented with the watercolor wash. Groth was the art editor for Esquire Magazine in the 1930s, worked for The Chicago Sun as a correspondent during World War II. In all he was an artist in five wars. He was a teacher who advised his students to "carry their sketchbooks everywhere."

These illustrations are from The Macmillan Classics series, and are scanned from the first edition, ©1963.

Click on pictures for full-size images.















1 comment:

Unknown said...

Today I purchased what appears to be the original art by John Groth for the cover of this 1963 version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Any advice on how I can find out if it's original?