Mary Blair

Mary Blair with Walt Disney

   

Scene from It's A Small World

     The Google logo celebrated the 100th birthday of artist Mary Blair today. I only knew of Mary Blair's work at Disney with her design of the It's A Small World ride in Disney World, but as I researched her I found that she did lots of other work for Disney as well.  I have posted some of my favorites:

The hookah smoking caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland, 1951

Cinderella, 1950

Peter Pan, 1953

     Mary Blair also did ads for such companies as Pall Mell cigarettes, Hanes Underwear, Meadow Gold and Dutch Boy Paints, to name a few. Here is my favorite cigarette ad, I love the fresh waternelon behind the cigarettes.  Does this imply that cigarettes are as good for you as fresh fruit, and in the same category?

Ad for Pall Mell

Hanes underwear ad

     Here is some of Blair's work, pre-Disney:

Backyards

Self-Portrait

       I also learned that Blair's husband, Lee Blair and brother-in-law, Preston Blair both did work for Disney  as well. Lee Blair worked for Disney in the late '30's and '40's, working on such projects as Pinocchio, Bambi and Fantasia. My favorite watercolor of his is of a self-portrait, such a handsome man. He went on to work for an ad agency in New York City, how glamorous!  The self portrait is posted below:

Lee Blair, self-portrait

     My favorite of the three, though, is the work of Preston Blair, such a great discovery today! This is my absolute favorite, I want to be the girl in this watercolor, if just for an evening. Notice the penthouse view of a New York City skyline. On my first trip to NYC I saw a couple dressed much like this, coming out of the Waldorf Astoria.  I imagined all kinds of scenarios for them, never knowing their actual story.

Man and Woman Kissing

 Here is a link to the three Blair artists.