Dowd Illustration Research Archive Acquires the Reynold Brown Collection
Above: Original concept painting by Reynold Brown for the Twilight for the Gods movie poster, 1958.
The Dowd Illustration Research Archive has acquired the collection of the late artist Reynold Brown. The collection was donated by his family, Luzon and Jim Kahler, and contains ephemera, photographs, prints, and original works of art from throughout Brown’s career. The collection adds to the existing holdings of commercial illustrations dating from the 1950s, but also adds a new subset of both print and original poster illustrations to the archive. The acquisition will allow the continued preservation of the legacy of this prominent twentieth-century artist.
Original sketches by Reynold Brown, ca.1940
Reynold Brown started drawing at a young age, which is evident from some of his elementary school projects. Brown further refined his art practice in high school and was informed by teachers and mentors, one of whom was Norman Rockwell. Brown’s first task as an illustrator was to ink the cartoon Tailspin Tommy in 1936. He was advised by Rockwell, whose sister was Brown’s teacher, to abandon cartooning if he wanted to become a commercial illustrator.
After graduating from Alhambra High School, Brown won a scholarship to attend the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. During World War II, he worked as a technical artist for North American Aviation and was later employed as a commercial illustrator for some of the top magazines of the 1950s. During Brown’s early career, he lived and worked in New York and was able to find artist representation, which allowed him to become an established illustrator.
During the early years of Brown’s career, he created cover art for paperback books and worked for publishers such as Signet, Bantam, and Penguin. Daniel Zimmer, author of Reynold Brown: A Life in Pictures, elaborates that Brown illustrated over 40 paperback covers from 1947 to 1952. Brown conceived the covers for some of the first paperbacks ever produced, which further solidified him as one of the notable illustrators of mid-century popular print.
Reynold Brown’s preliminary paintings for paperback book covers, ca.1940.
Reynold Brown was also a prominent illustrator and was featured in some of the most popular magazines of the mid-century. Bown’s illustrations were published in Boy’s Life, Popular Science, Liberty, and Life. He was also hired for commercial accounts and produced advertisements for companies like Good Year and Western Airlines. The Reynold Brown Collection contains examples of his published tear sheets, which elaborate on his brief but successful time as a commercial illustrator for editorials and advertisements.
A box of filed ephemera and a selection of tear sheets featuring Reynold Brown’s illustrations, ca.1950
Also included in the collection are reference photographs shot by Brown himself. Some photos can be traced from process sketch to published illustration, which allows further understanding of the creation of commercial works from conception to the final iteration. The reference photographs also provide another facet of Brown’s artistic capabilities and offer insight into how he conceptualized his compositions.
Reynold Brown is more widely known for his movie poster artwork, which features colorful and captivating imagery. He created posters for numerous iconic productions from the silver age of American films. Brown’s poster artwork dates mainly from the 1950s and 1960s, and he is credited with poster artwork for films such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, and Doctor Zhivago. The Reynold Brown Collection contains selected examples of his poster artwork, including original paintings and preliminary sketches, in addition to printed posters and advertisement features.
The donation of the Reynold Brown Collection allows his materials to be further preserved, which will eventually be accessible to researchers, students, and faculty. The generous gift of Luzon and Jim Kahler serves to strengthen the Dowd Illustration Research Archive as a resource for significant holdings of twentieth-century illustration.
For more information about the Reynold Brown Collection, reach out to Andrea Degener, Dowd Illustration Research Archive curator.