There were a few women bold enough to enter into the very-competitive profession, however, and one of those “bold women” was Williamsport’s own Frances Tipton Hunter.īoasting a career that spanned four decades, the 1920s through the 1950s, Until the latter half of the 20th century, male artists dominated the world of illustration. A book, Frances Tipton Hunter’s Paper Dolls, was published in 1943 by the Whitman Publishing Company.
She also produced an extremely popular series of calendar paintings over a period of eleven years, and many advertising illustrations for products such as Listerine and Occident Flour. Hunter’s early work appeared in the Woman’s Home Companion, followed by illustrations for Collier’s, Liberty, Good Housekeeping, and a long series of covers for The Saturday Evening Post. Further study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and Fleisher Art Memorial prepared her for her debut as an illustrator.
Her art talent appeared early in high school, and she graduated with honors from the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Arts. Her own childhood was scarred by the death of her mother when she was only six years old, and she was raised by her aunt and her uncle. Like many other women illustrators, Frances Tipton Hunter made children her specialty.
