

NOTE: Use the "Content By Category" (right side) to find films and characters. This blog is for Animation and Comic related images, artifacts, and commentary on holdings in The Cowan Collection. Copyright by original holders.
Updated 5/12/2008 & 5/7/2008: See corrections/additions in red below
That is Benchley and this Christmas card was created by the legendary Hank Porter - Joe Grant did not create any of the art used in the creation of this Christmas card.Update 5/7/2008: I had written that the person on the right was Walt Disney. One reader commented: "To be honest the guy appearing in the far right seems to be Robert Benchley starring in "The Reluctant Dragon" movie. That's why is held by the dragon." I forwarded the card image and the comment to Didier Ghez for his opinion. Didier wrote back: "This is definitely Benchley, not Walt. The two caricatures were probably done by Joe Grant." So, I updated my comment to reflect this new information! Thanks, Didier and "Anonymous."
Porter started at Disney's in 1936. He worked on Snow White, but when the light from the animator's light board strained his eyes, he was soon transferred into the Publicity and Merchandise Art Department.
Walt Disney later referred to Hank Porter as a "one man art department."
Porter created art used in magazine and newspaper articles, publicity art used for film promotion, the Snow White Sunday strip, art found on fan cards, corporate Christmas cards, children's publications including storybooks, paint books, cut-out books and comics, presentation art requested by Walt Disney, and he designed by my calculations around 75 - 80% of the 1,100 combat insignia created at the Studio during the war.