Ernest Hamlin Baker (American, 1889-1975)

Monumental Arrangement of Four Nudes
Signed "Ernest Hamlin Baker" l.r.
Graphite on paper, sight size 20 1/8 x 17 in. (51.0 x 43.3 cm), framed.
Condition: Small surface loss to l.l. corner which seems original to the work, not examined out of frame.

N.B. Ernest Baker was a self-taught illustrator. He broke into the industry in 1929 when publisher Henry Luce first tapped him to create covers for the new Fortune magazine. In 1939, Luce hired him again as a cover illustrator for Time magazine. Baker would spend the rest of his career at Time, producing over 300 covers featuring portraits of influential figures. Baker was also active in the WPA, during which he painted the mural The Economic Activities of the Narragansett Planters for the United States Postal Service. The artist considered this powerful mural his best work.

Framed dimensions are 25 x 21 x 1 inches, with a label from Jordan Marsh Company on the frame backing paper.

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