​Victor Kalin • Artist

1940s-50s  • Twenty years after the first, so-called "Golden Age of Illustration" there was a second, smaller golden age that began with the end of WWII. An explosion of new brands, products and labor-saving devices tneeded to be introduced to potential consumers. Advertising had not yet moved to TV, and photography was not yet in wide use. Illustrations were everywhere and illustrators were in demand. Where pre-war color reproduction was rare and drawings were mostly simple black and white, post-war illustrations were full-color paintings that told  tales of abundance, optimism and romance. "Big magazines" appeared in every home. Their story illustrations suggested comfort, if not wealth, and featured beautiful women in relaxed poses.