Sometimes I like to hit thrift stores or antiques shops  to hunt down ephemeral paper documents such as brochures, advertisements, booklets, etc. with great illustrations. These small objects weren’t meant to be permanent and were often thrown away so it’s always a joy to discover a long lost illustrated piece of paper by an unknown, or sometimes known, cartoonist. I have a small collection that I will be scanning and sharing with you.
Recently, I found a single sheet with a beautiful Al Wiseman illustration for Boeing. Al Wiseman was a ghost artist for the Dennis the Menace comic books from the 50s and 60s, and this drawing seems to come from that time when he was ghosting the Dennis comics, possibly late 60s to early 70s (the 747 was produced in 1969).  The illustration has a fluid line, with a crunchy texture in the clothes and beard, and it’s almost calligraphy. I’m guessing it is a part of a sales package or advertising campaign created for Boeing, so I will be keeping an eye out for anything else drawn by Wiseman for this campaign. If you have any leads or info about this drawing, I’ll love to hear from you!

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