(WALT DISNEY STUDIOS / HANK PORTER / ANIMATION) Two Christmas-themed illustrations of Pluto and Goofy.
Circa 1940s. Ink and colored pencil on board with frosted acetate overlays painted in gouache. 255x153 mm; 10x6 inches, main images, on 13 1/2x10 1/2-inch sheets. Both bear page numbers in the corners (Pluto, 3 and Goofy, 5).
A charming pair of the famous Disney dog characters Goofy and Pluto celebrating the holidays, by renowned Disney illustrator Hank Porter. The images depict Goofy "ringing in the season" with bells and Pluto receiving a bone as a present. As with most of Hank Porter's works for Disney, the pieces are unsigned, but numerous hallmarks of his characteristic style are present throughout: the style and quality of inking; the way in which both characters' pupils are drawn; his advanced grasp of anatomy and affinity for certain types of character posing (including Goofy's outstretched foot, similar to a number of other Porter illustrations), his style of drawing digits and dog paws; and the particular way in which the WDP copyright is written. Specifically, the style is in close keeping with his art produced in the late 1940s, as seen in cover art for publications such as Western Family, Pictorial Review, and Rexall Magazine.
Porter worked in effective anonymity under the Disney banner but made indelible contributions during his career to the areas of comics, magazine illustration, children's books, and military insignia (among others). As the public becomes more aware of his diverse and prolific output, Porter is increasingly gaining recognition as an important illustrator of the 20th century.
