LUCILLE CORCOS. "J. Walter Thompson Co." Illustration for the article "The J. Walter Thompson Company," published in Fortune Magazine, Volume 36, Number 5, November 1947. Watercolor, pen and ink on paper. 368x673 mm; 14 1/2x26 1/2 inches, on 20x30-inch sheet.
A bird's eye view into the creative offices of the great pioneer advertising agency during its heyday. J. Walter Thompson was among the first companies to create copy and layouts, build the first full-service advertising agency, pioneer ad careers for women, and produce the first sponsored TV program. Among the rooms and accounts depicted are those of Peggy King "Lady VP" after whom Peggy Olsen in Mad Men was modeled, Ruth Waldo, Bill Griffin (Ford), Lloyd E. Baillie ("VP, Standard Brands. `The most impenetrable man in JWT'"), Walter Hine (Eastman Kodak), Kenn Hinks (Lever Bros.), and Henry Stevens (Shell). By way of her own signature, Corcos has worked herself into the drawing within the Art Department room, inspecting a picture identified with the initial "C" on the cover.
