Wednesday Advertising Day
I have previously shown work by Jack Betts, one of the more interesting of the unknown artists working for the comic strip ad agency Johnstoen and Cushing. He had two accounts, which both ran for years. The Peter Pain ad series for Ben Gay and Neddy for Nestlé. He also did illustrations, but not as many as you might expect. And he did not turn up with the other regulars at Boy's Life.
Here are some of his newspaper ads, along with some lesser seen illustration work. The bulk of these is from the fifties. Some of these are signed and the others, I don't know. The more I look at them, the more I suspect they are by somebody else. Maybe Bob Bugg, but he usually signed his work as well. (later note: two of these I have shown again in August 2010, the third one seems to be neither by Bugg or Betts).
It is interesting to note that Betts seems to have started drawing 'open' clothes folds before Hank Ketcham did and turned them into a signature element of his style.
Early Nestlé ad without Neddy (1944):
Peter Pain from 1944 to 1952:
This Week 1950:
And this is the earliest work by Betts I have ran across:
American Legion 1938:
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